Burning Desire
by xXBooBooKittyFuckXx
Summary: Rei and Minako's past is . . . complicated at best. With jealousy, insecurity, a shady past, and oh yeah, monsters in the way can they defy the odds and be together? Or were they just doomed from the start? Rei X Minako
1. Chapter 1

**AN: So I haven't written a story in a while so I might be kind of rusty. My laptop is a piece of crap and I don't have spell check so hopefully I don't have too many errors in this chapter. The song I use in this chapter is obviously called Naughty Naughty and it's by Porcelain and the Tramps. I highly suggest looking it up, because she is awesome. Anyways, hope you all enjoy :)**

 **Chapter 1: Naughty Naughty**

Five shadows darted through the darkness of the forest, swerving in and out of trees, barely missing the whiplash of the branches by one step when they came to an abrupt halt.

"Damnit! We lost it!" Jupiter growled.

"Which way did it go?" Mars scanned the area, narrowing her eyes in hopes to catch a glimpse of the tricky Youma.

"I don't know. I lost it's heat signature." Mercury frantically typed on her key pad, trying to re-establish a way of tracking the monster.

"Can't we just give up and call it a night? I'm tired from all this running." Usagi whined, slinking down against one of the nearby trees.

"No, we can't just give up dumpling head." Rei shot a glare at Usagi. "Maybe if you took our cardio training more seriously you wouldn't be worn out after just five minutes of running."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"No, just out of shape." Rei smirked seeing the reaction she could evoke from the princess. "Oh and there's a spider on your head."

"WHAT?" Usagi quickly jumped up, crying as she swatted at her head. "Get it off! Get it off!"

Minako walked up, gently grabbing Usagi's arm to calm the princess. "There's no spider Usagi. Rei is just trying to scare you."

"Rei-chan! You jerk! I'll never forgive you for this betrayal!" Usagi started stalking towards the pyro ready to get into yet another fight with her laughing guard before Minako interfered.

"We don't have time for this." Minako sent a warning glare to Rei which immediately shut her up. "The longer we stand here wasting time, the further away that thing gets. Ami, let out a bubble blast and let's split up. We're not going to catch it this way." The group nodded in unison and split up. In the distance Rei could hear Ami yell out "bubble blast" before she was surrounded in a white fog. The air became thick as she jumped from tree to tree taking the high ground to get a better view of things.

In the distance Rei saw a shadow darting around, desperately trying to find it's escape. "Gotcha." Rei smirked to herself, silently dropping from her tree and taking cover behind another. She dared a glance around the corner to make sure it was still there when she saw Minako looking around, obviously unaware of the demon's presence. Mars silently crept up to the blonde, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around to make her aware of the danger.

Startled, Minako spun around when she felt something touch her shoulder and threw a right hook, which Rei skillfully dodged by a centimeter. Her eyes widened when she realized it wasn't the youma that grabbed her "Rei-chan! Don't sneak up on me like that! I could have killed you!"

"I highly doubt that." Rei couldn't help but smirk as the blonde rolled her eyes at her response.

"Why did you -" Before Minako could finish her sentence Rei quickly grabbed her again and spun them around so she had Minako pinned to a nearby tree, barely avoiding the blast the monster sent in their direction. Minako looked at the raven haired girl with wide eyes, barely registering that she just saved her life.

Rei silently put a finger to her lips, signaling for the blonde to stay quiet. Minako nodded in understanding as Rei jumped back up into the tree.

"Oi! You missed!" Minako teased, coming out from behind the tree as Rei jumped from branch to branch to get a better vantage point. The youma glared at the cocky blonde, giving her it's full attention as it sent another blast in her direction. Minako quickly dodge rolled, barely evading the second attack before a third blast got sent her way. "Shit." The blonde silently muttered as she ran to another tree for cover.

The youma started charging up a different attack this time, black energy forming above it's body when Rei let out a whistle to gain it's attention. It turned just in time to see Rei standing on a tree branch with her trade mark smirk and fire bow in hand. Before it could send out the dark burst of energy Rei released her fire arrow, sending it right through the beast's shoulder like it was made of butter. The youma let out a shrill scream as it went to jump and destroy the girl that dared oppose it when it felt a chain wrap around it's arm, forcing it back to the ground. It looked over it's shoulder to see Minako was at the end of the golden chain pulling it down and keeping it in place. The monster started to use all of it's strength to start yanking the girl forward when it felt a sharp pain in it's stomach. It looked back in front of it only to come face to face with those dark eyes staring into it's own with that same smirk that it had grown to hate more than anything in the last couple of minutes.

"Game over." Rei smiled as it looked down and saw a flaming sword sticking through it's stomach.

"Now's your chance Sailor Moon!" Minako yelled over her shoulder as the demon still struggled against her hold, desperately trying to get it's claws around Rei's throat.

Sailor Moon came running out of the mist and darkness, accompanied by Mercury and Jupiter, her Moon Stick in hand. Worldlessly Sailor Moon held it up in the air, light forming around the tip when the monster started laughing. Mars looked at the monster, confusion written all over her face.

"What's so fucking funny?" Rei hissed. "You're finished."

In its last moments the monster looked Rei in the eyes with uncalled-for clarity and smiled. "He'll find you."

Before Rei could say anything else Sailor Moon sent the bright light flying at the monster, tearing it apart and sending it back to the abyss, leaving Rei standing there with her sword in hand, looking perplexed.

"Finally! We did it." Usagi let out a sigh of relief, relaxing against a tree.

"Rei? What's wrong?" Minako walked up to the pyro, concern evident on her face. It looked as if Rei had seen a ghost.

"It said . . . 'he'll find you' before Usagi got him . . ."

"Who is 'he'?'" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know . . . and I don't think we want to find out." Rei's brows were knit together, deep in thought, searching for some sort of answer.

"That does sound quite concerning." Ami frowned as Makoto nodded her head in agreement.

"He's just a sore loser." Usagi smiled as she transformed back into her civilian form, breaking the solemn mood. "I wouldn't think too much on it Rei-chan."

"That's easy for you to say dumpling head." Rei sent a glare in the princess' direction as everyone transformed back as well.

"Hey! What are you trying to say?" Usagi stood up straighter, scowling at her guard.

"I think you know what I'm trying to say." The pryo smirked, crossing her arms.

"That's it!" Usagi went running after Rei as the group sighed, watching their princess chase Rei around the forest.

"Well since that's handled, how about we celebrate?" Minako smiled, looking at Makoto and Ami. "I hear there's a party nearby."

"I have to wake up early to help grandpa." Rei walked up to the group with a very tired Usagi in tow.

"Don't be such a wet blanket!" Minako stuck her tongue out at the dark haired senshi. "It will be fun! You're coming with." The blonde grabbed Rei by the arm and started to drag her towards the party before she could protest further.

When they got to the party the music was blaring through the house and everyone was already entirely too drunk. "Guess we're gonna have to play catch up." Minako grinned and winked at Rei as she slinked into the kitchen to grab the group a couple of drinks.

"Is partying all Venusians care about?" Rei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, already irritated by all the noise and people.

"Partying isn't the only thing we care about." Minako smiled, returning with the drinks and handing them out. As Ami and Makoto went off into their own corner to talk the blonde pressed her body against Rei's side as she was taking a gulp of her vodka cranberry, whispering seductively into her ear. "We're also very fond of . . . other things." Rei spit up her drink a bit, coughing on the liquid caught in her throat as her face turned a bright red causing Minako to burst into giggles. "You're too easy Rei-chan."

"I don't think I'm the easy one." Rei scowled in the blonde's direction, causing her laughter to stop.

"You know what, you can be a real jerk sometimes Rei." Minako's eyes filled with hurt for the briefest second before she pretended to blow it off and chuggeddown the rest of her drink. "Whatever, I'm going to go dance. You can sit in the corner and sulk by yourself." And with that the blonde disappeared onto the dance floor before Rei could apologize.

"Don't you think that was kind of harsh Rei-chan?" Usagi said softly, coming up next to her friend.

Rei chewed on her bottom lip, guilt slowly filling her gut before she downed the rest of her drink as well, tossing it aside with a seemingly careless attitude. "Whatever . . ." With that Rei took to the dance floor herself.

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We like to party**

 **I know you hate it 'cause**

 **I flirt with everybody**

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We just wanna party**

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We like to party**

 **I know you hate it 'cause**

 **I flirt with everybody**

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We just wanna party**

 **It's all about fun and games**

 **Until I hurt somebody**

As the beat pumped through the house and the influence of alcohol took over Rei started to lose herself to the music, letting the melody pulse through her body. With thoughts of Minako racing through her mind Rei quickly grabbed a stranger and started dancing on him, pushing her butt into his crotch, and moving her hips to the rhythm.

 **Definitely not an angel**

 **But I'm not that evil, you know**

 **I'm just so addicted**

 **To beautiful people, uh oh**

 **I'm getting sucked into the night**

 **I'm out ahead and losing control (Oh no)**

 **Get me wrong and get me right**

 **You know that I can never say no (Oh no)**

As the pyro danced with her handsome random, arms now wrapped around his neck, her eyes couldn't help but catch a glint of gold hair in the crowd over his shoulder. She tried to ignore the flare of jealousy she felt when she saw Minako dancing with a tall, dark, and handsome man as well. She tried to write it off as just irritation at seeing the blonde be so careless, but if she was just irritated then why did she want to punch that guy in the face so badly when he had done nothing to her?

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We like to party**

 **I know you hate it 'cause**

 **I flirt with everybody**

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We just wanna party**

 **It's all about fun and games**

 **Until I hurt somebody**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it**

Rei tried to look away, anywhere else but where the blonde was dancing, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of her and where his hands were placed on her hips. Blue eyes suddenly caught her own, causing the fire senshi to look away with a blush.

 **Definitely kissing a stranger**

 **Then leave his ass later, you know**

 **Can't help that I'm attracted to danger**

 **You can't be my savior, uh oh**

 **I'm getting sucked into the night**

 **I'm out ahead and losing control (Oh no)**

 **Get me wrong and get me right**

 **You know that I can never say no (Oh no)**

Fully aware of Rei's eyes on her Minako turned around in her dance partners arms, placing her hand on the back of his neck, and pulling him down for a kiss. She could practically feel the pyro's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head by this point as she slid her tongue over his lower lip to fully gain entrance to his mouth. The guy was all too happy to oblige her as he placed his hands on her ass, pulling her closer to him as she deepened the kiss, tangling her hands in his hair.

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We like to party**

 **I know you hate it 'cause**

 **I flirt with everybody**

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We just wanna party**

 **It's all about fun and games**

 **Until I hurt somebody**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it**

Rei felt the little flicker of jealousy turn into a full on flame of furious rage as she watched the display between the two of them. This game they were playing felt oddly familiar and oddly unfair. Rei hand't meant what she said, but judging by how Minako was acting she didn't seem to know the difference and was hell bent on teaching Rei a lesson she wouldn't soon forget.

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **I know I said that we'd stay home**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **Kiss and watch a boring show**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **Oh hell no, I gotta go**

The pyro completely forgot about her dance partner as she watched the Venusian make out with the dark haired stranger, balling up her fist to prevent herself from storming over there and giving Minako a piece of her mind.

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We like to party**

 **I know you hate it 'cause**

 **I flirt with everybody**

 **Naughty, naughty, naughty**

 **We just wanna party**

 **It's all about fun and games**

 **Until I hurt somebody**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it**

 **Uh oh uh oh uh oh**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it...**

 **So whatcha gonna do about it...**

As they continued to make out Rei watched furiously as his hands slowly started to slide up Minako's skirt and that's when the Martian decided enough was enough. Completely abandoning her partner now Rei stormed up to the couple and grabbed the guy's hands. He looked up confused and dazed, seemingly ready to fight, but stopped whatever he was going to say when he saw Rei and the look on her face.

"What is it Rei?" Minako turned around to face her comrade, using her fake sweet voice that drove the Martian insane.

"I think we should go. We all have to get up early tomorrow." The fire in Rei was immediately put out when those blue eyes captured her own and she took on a more defeated tone, which surprised both herself and her commander.

"Uh yeah, sure." Minako didn't know how to react. She had expected Rei to come over and yell at her, but instead she acted like a kicked puppy that just wanted to go home, curl up, and die. "Let's go get the others."

"They already went home." Rei sighed. "I just didn't want you walking home by yourself."

"Ok." Minako nodded her head then turned to her dance partner. "Bye." She smiled and waved, leaving before he could respond, further confusing the very sexually frustrated stranger.

The walk towards Minako's place was a silent one, both of the girls too lost in their own thoughts to say anyting. When they started to pass the Hikawa Shrine the blonde came to an abrupt stop, causing Rei to turn around with a questioning look in her eyes. "Everything ok?"

"I just remembered . . . I told my parents I was staying at Usagi's place tonight for a sleepover . . ." Minako suddenly found the ground very interesting, a light blush spreading on her cheeks. "Do you think I could uh . . . stay with you?"

Rei raised an eyebrow, weighing her options, then shrugged. "Sure." She decided she was too tired to walk all the way to Minako's place and back anyways. With that Rei silently led the way up the steps, into the house, and into her room. Once they were inside the pyro's room Minako grabbed Rei's arm before she could head into the bathroom to change into her pajamas. "Yes?" Once again Rei looked at the Venusian with those eyes that were full of so many questions. Questions that Minako had none of the answers to.

"I just wanted to say thanks." Minako smiled sincerely at the archer.

"For what?"

"For saving my ass back there with that . . . thing. If it wasn't for you I would have been a goner." Rei blushed and Minako couldn't help the flare of confidence she felt when she felt the goosebumps on Rei's arm just from her touch. "In fact . . . you're always saving my ass." The Venusian stepped closer, slowly starting to slide her hand down the fire senshi's arm. "You must really like it." Minako's voice took on a seductive tone as she pushed her body against Rei's side once more, secretly thrilled when the Martian didn't pull away this time.

"What game are you playing at . . .?" Rei asked softly, refusing to make eye contact with the blonde who was becoming more bold by the second.

"Don't you want me Reiko?" The blonde purred into the pyro's ear, punctuating her sentence with a light lick to Rei's earlobe, causing shivers to go down the normally calm girl's spine. Minako opened her mouth to further provoke her fiery crush, but soon found the words lost in her mouth when Rei unexpectedly pinned her to the wall and captured her lips in a searing kiss. Minako could barely swallow back the moan in her mouth as the archer bit down on her lower lip, tugging it ever so slightly before she went back to devouring her prize. Receiving no resistance from the blonde Rei started sucking on Minako's neck, marking her territory as she slowly slid her hands up the back of the blonde's long legs, until her fingertips brushed the bottom of her panties. Minako felt herself get woozy and weak in the knees at the touch she never knew her comrade possessed. In all of her years and experience of kissing and such Minako had never experienced anything like this. As if sensing the Venusian's inability to stand Rei cupped the bottom of Minako's perfectly shaped ass, lifting her up, and placing her on her desk which was supposed to be for studying, but tonight she would make an exception.

Minako let out a moan when Rei found a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, wrapping her legs around the pyro, trapping her there. She could practically feel the heat radiating off of Rei as the fire senshi slipped her hands underneath her panties, caressing her firm ass and she loved it. She wanted to burn in the fire that is Rei.

As Rei's hands got closer to where she really needed them to be she felt the pyro falter. "Don't stop." Minako begged breathlessly and that's all Rei needed to hear as she captured the blonde's lips once more and pushed her panties aside, sliding two fingers into the already wet entrance of her commander.

"Oh god Rei." Minako arched her back as she felt the pyro push her fingers all the way into her, the feeling more sweet than she could have ever imagined itwould be.

Rei looked into the blonde's eyes as they filled with pure lust and ecstasy, pushing her fingers in and out of her, loving every little reaction she could get out of the girl. "You're so perfect." The fire senshi started undoing the blonde's blouse with her free hand, kissing her collar bone as the blonde leaned back exposing more of her skin for Rei to devour.

As Rei massaged her thumb against Minako's tight bundle of nerves, pushing her fingers in and out of her commander a little faster, the blonde slid her hands up underneath the archer's shirt, running her nails down Rei's perfectly soft toned back, causing an involuntary moan to come out of the pyro's mouth. The heat continued to increase with Rei's speed. Minako was getting close and she could tell. Just being able to feel Minako about to orgasm made her feel the same. "I love you." Rei said breathlessly as she kissed Minako again, but this time the blonde didn't respond to her kiss. In fact the blonde stopped doing anything at all and Rei couldn't help but feel worried as she pulled away to look at her lover. "Minako . . .?" Rei stopped her movement when she saw the shocked look in Minako's blue eyes. "What's -"

Before Rei could finish her question Minako quickly pulled her fingers out of her and stood up, straightening out her clothing. "I have to go."

"But-"

"I'll see you later Rei." Minako smiled, but it didn't quite meet her eyes as she quickly retreated and ran out of the miko's house before she could say or do anything else.

"Fuck!" Rei threw up her arms and covered her face as she felt tears sting her eyes. She couldn't help but feel used.

 **AN: I'm going to try to update this story every Friday. Some feed back would be great :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I apologize in advance for any typos. I know how pesky and annoying those can be. Anyways, here's Chapter 2 as promised. Hope you all enjoy :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 2  
**  
"Fuck!" Rei threw up her arms and covered her face as she felt tears sting her eyes. She couldn't help but feel used as she heard the front door close. 'Why would I say that? Where did that come from?'She thought to herself as she paced back and forth, bewildered at her own words. Everything had just felt so right and so weirdly familiar as if they had been doing that for years. The words just kind of slipped out of her mouth before she even realized what she was saying. 'Everything was going so well . . .' The distraught priestess threw herself onto her bed, staring up listlessly at her ceiling, wiping away her stray tears as she got lost in thought. She stared at the ceiling with such intensity as if it would magically provide all of her answers. Things had been starting to feel weird between her and Minako for a while, but she couldn't place her finger on why. "Do I really love her?" The miko asked herself out loud, thinking on the past couple of weeks. Sure Minako flirted with her, Christ, she flirted with anything that breathed, but it wasn't until recently that it started leaving the fire senshi flustered when she would make a provocative statement or wink at her.

"Ugh!" Rei suddenly jumped back up, realizing she would get no sleep tonight and the only thing that would maybe bring her some comfort and answers would be a long session meditating in front of the fire. Walking down to her meditation room and settling herself in front of the flames Rei could only hope maybe she would gain some insight on these new feelings and whatever had just occured between her and the senshi of love.

 **-Minako's P.O.V.-  
**

What the hell was that?' Minako frantically thought to herself as she speedily walked home. 'Where did that come from? Why did she say she loves me? Why did I run away? And why did I . . . almost say it back?' Sure Minako fancied her comrade, she knew she liked Rei as more than a friend the moment she laid eyes on her, but these feelings that were coursing through her recently were strange. Her feelings for the fire senshi had somehow developed into something much deeper without her knowledge or approval.

As Minako quietly crept into her house and laid down in her bed she couldn't help but feel guilt fill her gut as she remember the way that Rei looked at her when she walked away, leaving her hurt and exposed. As the blonde slowly started to drift off to sleep, trying to push these concerning thoughts and events from her mind, the only thing she could see was the hurt look in Rei's eyes.

 **-Flashback-**

Venus stood at the landing pad with her subordinates Mercury and Jupiter waiting for the much anticipated arrival of their final member. 'The Martian is running late.' She thought to herself irritably as she fidgeted in place. She hated standing still and all of this waiting was getting on her last nerve.

"What do you think is taking so long?" Jupiter sighed, looking up at the sun. It was a hot day on the moon and she would much rather be in the shade enjoying herself.

"Maybe the Martian didn't want to come with or got bored on the shuttle and killed everyone. I hear they're quite a savage race." Minako grinned over at her friend.

"I doubt that." Ami looked over at her captain wearily, the sun taking it's toll on her as well.

Before the group could continue on with their theories they saw the shuttle starting to land, causing the Venusian's long gold cape to blow in the wind. 'Finally.' The blonde thought with a sigh of relief. The shuttle landed with a soft thud and with a low hiss the door slowly opened. The blonde watched with great interest as she saw long legs descend down the steps. Her eyes slowly traveled up tan legs, perfectly shaped hips, a tight stomach, perfect breasts, and then finally she came face to face with the most beautiful girl she had ever seen. Her hair was as dark as night and her eyes sparkled as if the gods themselves had stolen the stars and put them in her eyes. Her lips were in a tight line and her posture was perfect, her crimson cape flowing behind her, giving her the look of a serious soldier. Getting lost in the Martian's devastating features the senshi of love almost forgot why she was there in the first place until she received a light nudge from Jupiter.

"Welcome." Minako's Venusian instincts took over as she smiled the most charming smile she could muster in the Martian's direction, holding out her hand for her new subordinate to shake. "I'm your commander and captain, but you can just call me Minako."

Minako couldn't help but feel perplexed when the Martian looked at her hand with distaste and simply nodded. "Commander." She said dryly before she looked to Mercury and Jupiter. "And you must be my comrades." The foreigner walked up to the two coolly, shaking their hands with a light smile.

"I'm Ami." The blunette shaked her new comrade's hand politely.

"And I'm Makoto." Juptier stepped forward, shaking the Martian's hand as well.

"I'm assuming you're from Mercury." Rei tilted her head in Ami's direction. "And you're from Jupiter. Correct?" The dark haired girl looked over at Jupiter as both girls nodded in unison. "I'm Rei. I look forward to working with you."

"And we do as well." Venus chimed in, trying to gain the newcomer's attention.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I traveled a long way and I'm quite tired. Would you mind showing me to my chambers?" Rei completely ignored the blonde's statement, directing her question at the Jovian and Ami.

"Of course you are. Here, your quarters are this way." Mercury sent an apologetic look in Minako's direction as she and Makoto lead Rei to her room.

When the girls were out of sight Minako let her pent up frustration out. "What the hell was that?" 'She didn't even look in my direction!' The blonde thought furiously to herself. As one of the descendants of Aphrodite she wasn't used to being ignored. It was unheard of. Whenever she put the charm on she always got what she wanted and yet the Martian acted as if she didn't even exist. Storming into the dining hall Minako was met with the sight of Ami and Makoto sipping on some water as she took her seat at the table. "What the hell is her problem?" Minako mumbled grumpily as she grabbed a glass of water herself, chugging it down. "I was nothing but charming and nice to her and she treated me as if I was diseased."

"She's probably still just sore. A lot of Martian's are." Ami commented, grabbing some grapes.

"Sore? About what?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"The fighting pits in Mars." Jupiter chimed in.

"But that was over a hundred years ago." Minako sighed. "I'm not responsible for my ancestors actions. I didn't go and spectate. I didn't pit the Martian's against each other for sport."

"No, but I don't think the Martians care. You must know that since Aries pledged his love to Aphrodite and offered his people as mere servants for Venusians as a token of his undying love for her that there has been civil unrest between the two civilizations. There hasn't been much communications since the Martian's betrayed Arie's wishes between any of the other planets. The only ones who stay in contact are those from Jupiter, because they share similar interests." Ami shrugged. "I'm sure she'll warm up to you. It will just take time. I mean, she seemed pretty nice to me."

"Well that's because you don't have blonde hair and your people didn't overstep their bounds." Makoto grinned.

"I didn't do anything." Minako sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. This was going to be tough.

 **-End Flashback-**

Minako jolted awake, her eyes wide as she processed the vivid memory of the first time her and Rei met. Even back then she was immediately attracted to the Martian, but received very little attention from the girl. "That was odd." The blonde mused to herself as she slowly got out of bed. 'I didn't realize Rei didn't like me at all when we first met . . .' Even though it was just a memory, she couldn't help but feel hurt at the raven haired girl's reaction the first time she saw her.

When she looked over to the clock Minako let out a groan and flopped back down when she realized it was 10:30 and she was already late for training. To say things would be awkward between her and Rei would be an understatement.

 **-Rei's P.O.V.-**

The fire senshi stayed up all night in front of the flames, the flashback running through her mind over and over again. 'Well that was no help at all.' Rei let out a frustrated sigh as she looked over at the clock and saw it was 8 am. 'Looks like I won't have any time for sleep.' She dragged herself up out of her sitting position and headed into the shower, thinking back on the flashback. 'I sure didn't like Minako when I first met her. Maybe I had the right idea back then.' She smiled a little to herself, remembering the blonde's reaction to her indifference, but frowned at the memory of the fighting pits. 'Martians fought to the death just for the Venusian's amusement. To them death was nothing more than a sick game . . .' Getting herself dressed in the proper attire for running and fighting Rei looked over at the clock and saw she still had an hour before training would begin. "There's no harm in getting a jump start on things I suppose." With that said the fire senshi grabbed her ipod, blasting her music, trying to drown out the awful thoughts of death and gold hair as she headed to the abandoned track the others would eventually meet up at.

The Martian arrived at the track 30 minutes early and immediately started running laps, hurtling over object strategically placed in the way as thoughts of the past and last night plagued her mind. 'I still don't get it. Why would she just leave like that? Why did I blurt that out? It's not like I liked her in the past so that can't be why I said it . . . There's no way I could possibly love her. She's careless, stubborn, opinionated, overly flirty, pretty . . . nice, smart, caring . . ." Rei stopped in her tracks the moment her thoughts started turning on her. 'No, no, no. I can't think like that. I can't love her. I mean even if I did why would it matter? She made it very clear last night she doesn't feel the same way.' Rei looked bitterly down at the ground and was about to start running again before she got too lost in her own thoughts when she heard her friend yell out to her.

"Oi! You're here early Rei-chan!" Makoto smiled jogging over to her comrade, but frowned when she saw the look on Rei's face. "Hey Rei . . . is everything alright?"

"Peachy." Rei threw an obviously fake smile in Jupiter's direction before she started to take off in a run, unfortunately for her Makoto was just as fast as her. She was one of the only people that could actually keep up with the Martian.

"Well you don't seem 'peachy.' Did something happen?"

"No." Rei kept it short.

"Did Usagi do something stupid again?" Makoto raised an eyebrow, keeping pace with her comrade.

"Nope."

"Your grandpa?"

"No."

"Is it Minako?" Rei remained silent and slowed her run down to a walk when Makoto mentioned the blonde's name.

"I don't want to talk about it." Mars sighed as she looked back to the ground.

"Ah, so I was right. Something is wrong." Makoto smiled and poked Rei in the ribs. "Does it have anything to do with that flashback to the silver millennium last night?"

"You saw it too?" Rei looked at the brunette incredulously.

"Of course, we all share the same memories, well not all of our memories. Some are private, but yeah, I saw it too last night. You were priceless." Makoto laughed. "I don't think in all of the years I've known Minako I've seen her so flustered."

"Well seems like she can handle herself just fine now." Rei grumbled.

"What I don't understand is why we had the flashback. Usually something has to happen for our memories to be triggered . . . wait!" Makoto grabbed Rei's arm, turning her friend to her. "Something happened last night didn't it?"

"Nothing happened." The Martian narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Something happened." Makoto grinned knowingly.

"Nothing -"

"Sorry I'm late guys." Ami came running up to her two comrades, a light smile on her face.

"It's not like you to be late Ami-chan. I think you've been spending too much time with Usagi." Rei grinned, thankful for the welcome interruption.

"Sorry." The blunette blushed. "I was up later than I thought I would be so I had to catch up on my studying this morning."

"What kept you up so late Ami-chan? If I remember correctly you and Makoto left the party early last night." Rei's grin grew wider, her eyes shifting between her two blushing comrades.

"I uh . . . well you see . . ." Makoto and Ami stammered simultaneously.

"Why do we have to have training so early in the morning." Came Usagi's whine as she grudgingly made her way over to the group.

"It's 10:30 dumpling head!" Rei scowled at the approaching blonde. "And you're late . . . again!"

"It's uncool to show up on time Rei-chan." The princess chided. "Besides, I'm here before Minako. So you can't be angry at me."

"Speaking of which, where is Minako?" Ami looked around confused. The blonde was a bit of a ditz, but she took training seriously and was usually on time.

"Maybe she decided to skip training today after that horrible memory of Rei-chan being a jerk to her." Usagi stuck her tongue out at the guard.

"How do you know anything about that? You weren't even there." Rei narrowed her eyes at her princess.

"Well . . . you see . . ." Usagi started to sweat.

"You were spying on us weren't you!?" The pyro started stalking towards Usagi.

"I wouldn't say spying. Spying is such an ugly word." Usagi put up her hands defensively as she started backing up nervously.

"Now Rei-chan, don't do anything you'll regret." Makoto warned.

"Oh, I won't regret it." Rei was about to start chasing the blonde when a familiar voice interrupted them.

"Sorry I'm late." Minako blushed. "I accidentally got too much beauty sleep last night."

Rei stopped dead in her tracks when the cause of her lack of sleep hit her ears. She turned around to see a sheepish looking Minako, blushing lightly, refusing to make eye contact with her. "It sure doesn't show." Rei sent the blonde a glare.

"Rei . . ." Ami started, but before anyone could say anything else the raven haired girl took off running again.

'Guess I kind of deserve that.' The senshi of love thought to herself.

"What's her deal?" Makoto looked at the retreating form of her friend. "What happened last night Minako? Rei has been grumpy all morning and won't tell me anything."

"Nothing." The blonde answered a little too quickly, blushing as memories from last night came flooding into her head.

"Something obviously happened." Usagi lurked over to Minako, poking her friend in the ribs a couple of times. "You're obligated to tell me everything since I am your princess. Did you do something bad?"

"Nothing happened." Minako snapped and then took a step back, feeling bad for her outburst. "Just . . . drop it. Ok guys?" Minako looked sadly over at Rei as the Martian furiously ran, skillfully hurtling over boxes with the grace only the Martian could posses.

The three friends stood there dumbly as Minako took off in a run herself. "So we're definitely not dropping this right?" Usagi smiled over at her two guards to which they just rolled their eyes.

"We'll come up with a game plan later." Ami smiled before she took off running too.

"But-"

"Stop stalling and start running dumpling head." Rei hissed in Usagi's ear as she lapped her princess. Makoto couldn't help but laugh as she caught up with her raven haired friend, Usagi's cries and protests slowly fading further and further behind them.

A couple of hours later Rei leaned over the water fountain, greedily drinking down the water it provided as the rest of the group sat in the grass catching their breath.

"Hey . . ." Rei stood upright when she heard that familiar voice again behind her. "Can we talk?" Minako bit her lower lip, looking at the Martian's back.

"What's there to talk about?" Rei turned around, casually leaning against the wall, eyeing her commander suspiciously.

"About last night . . . I just wanted to -"

"Save it." The archer interrupted, pushing off the wall as she felt the fire that had been burning in her chest grow. "I don't want to hear it. You were drunk or you didn't mean it or you were tired or you weren't thinking right. Whatever half-assed apology you've come up with just save it. If there's one thing I've learned in all the years I've known you it's that everything is one big fucking game to you and the only way to win is to not play. So I'm out."

Minako felt tears sting her eyes as she opened her mouth to reply when she was interrupted once again. "Hey guys, we're over cardio today. Do you guys want to go get some shakes or something?" Makoto smiled, but it fell from her face when she saw the look her commander bore. "Is everything ok? What is going on?" The brunette looked back and forth between her friends.

"Nothing worth noting." Rei shot Minako another glare. "I'll skip on the shakes today. I think I need to be alone for a while. Later guys." The fire senshi started to walk away, pausing when she crossed the blonde's path. "Commander." She said curtly before she disappeared around the corner.

"Rei-chan is being especially mean today." Usagi frowned, crossing her arms.

"And for once it's not all directed at you." Ami noted before she placed a hand on her commander's arm. "Seriously Minako, what's going on?"

Minako just shook her head, barely hiding the tears that were threatening to spill over as she ran off by herself.

"I don't like seeing those two so upset . . ." Usagi looked distraught as she watched the retreating form of Minako.

"I know . . ." Makoto placed her hand on the shoulder of her princess to offer some sort of comfort. "We'll get to the bottom of this."

When Rei arrived to the shrine she immediately sat back in front of the flames, hoping to quell the growing anger and hurt she felt towards her almost lover.

 **-Flashback-**

Mars hastily made her way to the training grounds in the palace, already running late. She cursed herself for being too tired and irritated at the sight of the Venusian to want to get a tour of the palace, making it seem like a maze and making it too easy for her to get lost in such unknown territory. She rounded the corner and when she arrived she was greeted with the sight of a very irritated looking Venus.

"So nice of you to join us." Minako smiled, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"Commander." The Martian dryly responded as she stood upright, hands behind her back, awaiting instruction as Jupiter and Mercury stopped sparring to look at their new member.

Minako had to remind herself to stay calm and not lose it when her subordinate showed up late and only responded with indifference when addressed. "As you can see we're sparring. We'll pair up and continue on since you decided to grace us with your presence." Rei had to suppress the urge to roll her eyes, she was trained better than that, as she started to walk towards Makoto. "Oh no, you won't be sparring with her." Minako couldn't help the glee she felt when she saw Rei falter, turning her confused gaze towards her. "You'll be sparring with me." Rei caught the sword her captain tossed to her on instinct, looking down at the blade and then back up at the blonde, seeing a confident, challenging gleam in those blue eyes.

The raven haired girl couldn't help but laugh. "You?"

"Yes. Me. Is that a problem?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"I just think I'd be better matched against the Jovian." A small smirk formed on those lips Minako was so fixated on when she first met the girl.

"Better matched? We'll see about that." Minako pulled out her own sword, getting in her fighting stance, waiting for the Martian to attack which only seemed to amuse Rei even more. The raven haired girl stood there relaxed, seemingly unworried by the Venusian. It appeared as if Rei wasn't going to attack at all and the girl's attitude had finally gotten on the blonde's last nerve. Deciding she had had enough Minako went running at her subordinate, jumping to the left and then pushing off her left leg to go to the right at the last second, leaping with her sword over her head to smash it down onto that smug face. At the last second Mars took a quick step to the side and grabbed the blonde's wrist that held her sword. Minako's eyes widened as Rei used her own momentum against her and flipped her onto her back. The blonde went to stand up, but was stopped by Rei's foot on her chest. She looked up to see the Martian's sword pointed at her neck and her own a couple feet away from her.

"You attack boldly to hasten victory showing your lack of proper training." Mars looked straight into those blue eyes, her amused look gone and replaced with one of a hardened warrior. Minako didn't respond to Rei's backhanded comment, instead she just grabbed her sword and hastily stood up when the Martian stepped back. Feeling even more enraged than before Minako lifted her sword again, swinging at the pyro quickly. Rei deflected her attack and when she went to cut her head off the raven haired girl ducked and moved behind the blonde, kicking her in the back, sending the blonde stumbling forward. Venus turned around in time to see Mars coming at her swinging her own sword. The blonde barely deflected the attack before another came her way. The two were in a lock when Minako stopped the second assault, both pushing as hard as they could against their swords, waiting for one to lose their footing; Minako grit her teeth as she felt her strength leaving her. The blonde looked confused as she saw a smirk form on the Martian's face. Before she could figure out what was happening Rei headbutted the blonde, sending her stumbling back again.

Rei kept the smirk on her face as she once again took a step back, allowing her commander to compose herself. Minako closed her eyes and let out a deep breath as she tried to control her rage and focus on the task at hand. When she opened them she went running at her subordinate, swords clashed as she swung down diagonally, jumping away when Rei swung back at her. Rei jumped back barely avoiding a swing the blonde sent towards her midsection. Seeing the pyro stepping back Venus dropped to one knee, stabbing her sword forward, trying to aim for where Mars would jump next. When Rei dodged her second attack Minako jumped back up and went for another downward swing, but once again Rei was one step ahead. Ducking down and grabbing the blonde's ankle Rei flipped her commander onto her back again.

"A true warrior embraces pain and suffering until life leaves her body." Rei looked down sternly at the blonde.

Ignoring the screaming pain in her back and head Minako got back up, glaring at Rei. She went running at her subordinate one last time and was pleased when she saw the Martian running away. When she thought she had the archer cornered Mars jumped up, pushing off the wall with one foot to the next corner, pushing off again to land behind her. Minako stopped dead in her tracks when she felt the tip of the other's sword in her back. "How many times do I have to kill you before you're dead?" Rei laughed, lowering her sword, beginning to walk away.

Minako couldn't control herself anymore as she felt her Venus love me chain form in her hand. She quickly sent it flying at the raven haired girl, aiming to wrap it around her smug neck when Rei suddenly turned around and caught it with her wrist. They were caught in a weird tug of war as the chain hissed against the Martian's skin. "How fitting . . ." Rei growled. "For a Venusian's weapon to be a whip." Both girls silently struggled for control of the chain as they stared each other down. Before too long Rei pulled her arm back and sent Minako flying forward. When she rolled onto her back she was met once again with the sight of Mars standing over her. "You should stick to what you're best at Venusian. Lying on your back."

The blonde stood up quickly as the Martian left the training ground. "Fucking savage."

* * *

 **AN: Well there it is folks, I hope you all liked it :) I appreciate all the awesome feedback from you guys and I hope to receive more.**

 **: Thanks for the feedback, talking to you really got the ball rolling on this story :) I'm glad you like the banter and the action. Hopefully I didn't disappoint in this chapter**

 **Thunderfall: Poor Rei is right, but I think Minako got hers in this chapter. Karma is a bitch lol**

 **Reinako1: Thanks for noticing the chemistry I tried to show between Rei and Minako on the battlefield. I thought the chemistry would go unnoticed :)**

 **Salvasti: The whys and hows of everything will come up in time :) I can only hope my story will be as crazy and sporadically awesome as yours. Nice to see you're reading it :)**

 **Sky King Haruka Tenoh: I love that you liked the banter as well between characters and are questioning who "he" is. I really want to say something about "him", but I hate spoilers so you'll find out about "him" in time :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Usagi, Ami, and Makoto sat at their favorite spot drinking down their shakes as they all silently pondered what to do about their two friends who seemed so different as of late. "So what are we going to do?" Usagi smiled, the first one to finish her shake as usual.

"I don't know." Ami sighed. "Maybe we should talk to them separately to get both their sides of whatever it is that happened. It obviously isn't something small and has both of them upset."

"That might work." Makoto smiled, playing with Ami's hand under the table, causing a light blush to find it's way onto the blunette's face. "Minako usually gives way with enough prodding, but Rei is the one I'm worried about."

"Don't worry about grumpy old Rei-chan! I'll handle it!" Usagi smiled brightly, already overjoyed at the thought of getting information out of the Martian.

Ami and Makoto shared a look before they looked at the blonde with worry in their eyes. "I don't think that's a good idea Usagi-chan . . ." Makoto started carefully.

"Why not!?" The princess bristled.

"You know how Rei can be. I fear with your tactics she might turn on you and then we won't have a princess to protect." Makoto laughed at Usagi's ghostly appearance. "Don't you remember what happened the first time you met?"

 **-Flashback-**

After training Makoto and Ami took it upon themselves to give their new comrade a tour of the palace seeing as she seemed so lost. "And these are the gardens." Makoto pointed off to the right as the Martian silently observed, taking note of every little thing for possible future conflict and to avoid any further embarrassment in front of the Venusian.

"And there's the commander throwing herself at one of the guards." Rei couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes this time when she saw the blonde leaning towards one of the guards standing at a door with a smile on his face as the Venusian pulled him in with her charms.

Minako immediately snapped her head over to the group when she heard the familiar taunting voice of her new subordinate. "Shouldn't you be out slaughtering a village or something?" She glared at the raven haired girl, feeling a hint of satisfaction when she saw the fire in the Martian's eyes ignite at her words.

"Shouldn't you-" Rei started stalking towards the blonde, but was interrupted when she saw a flash of blonde hair running at her from the corner of her eye. The pyro let her instincts take over as she quickly flipped the assailant onto their back and had her sword pointed at their neck when she was met with two big blue shocked eyes.

"Princess!" The three other girls went running to their charge's aid.

Rei's eyes widened when she realized the person she just threw to the ground was the person she was supposed to protect. The Martian hastily sheathed her sword and dropped to one knee, bowing her head. "Your majesty. I'm so sorry. I-I didn't know . . ." Usagi started immediately crying, rubbing her eyes with her hands as she sat up.

"Now, now, she didn't mean it Serenity." Ami kneeled down next to the princess, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Head still down Rei gritted her teeth when she heard Minako mumble under her breath as she helped the princess up. "Fucking savage."

"Serenity." Came the unfamiliar voice of Luna as she rounded the corner, seeing her charge distraught and the Martian kneeling before her. "What happened here?"

"I just wanted to see the new guard and-and she . . ."

Luna sighed, looking at the Martian down on her knee. "The fault is mine." Rei kept her head down. "I acted foolishly without thinking. I hurt the one I'm sworn to protect. I understand if you must take my head as proper retribution."

"I can see to it that she's properly punished." Venus smiled wickedly down at the pyro.

"That won't be necessary." Luna shot Minako a look, causing the smile to drop from the blonde's face. "Serenity. . ." Luna turned her attention to the princess. "How many times have I told you that it's improper for a princess to be running around the halls like a child and to STOP tackling people into a hug when you first meet them. She is foreign to our land and is not used to our customs, let alone your own."

"I just-" Usagi sniffled.

"That's enough." Luna interrupted. "Martian, please stand." Rei hesitantly stood up, confused by the lack of punishment. "I don't believe we have met yet. What's your name?"

"Hino Rei . . . ma'am." Rei stood at attention, her hands behind her back, trying not to scowl at her snickering captain.

"Well Hino Rei I'm Luna and this is the princess Serenity who SHOULD be in class right now, learning proper etiquette so we can avoid such conflicts. I do hope there will not be a recurrence of what just happened."

"No ma'am."

"Good." Luna smiled, then looked back to the blonde princess who was trying to quietly sneak away before she got dragged back to her lessons. "Come along Serenity. You're not fooling anyone." The older woman snapped her head back at her charge.

"But lessons are so boring!" The blonde cried as she started to get dragged away.

Rei let out a sigh of relief and as she turned around to address her comrades she was suddenly tackled into a hug with blonde hair clouding her vision. "Nice to meet you Rei-chan!" Usagi smiled, hugging her new guard as tight as she could. Rei looked to her new friends for help, but they just laughed and looked away as the raven haired girl blushed lightly, hesitantly wrapping her arms around the princess in a hug she would never forget.

"Serenity!" Luna yelled when she realized the princess refused to follow orders.

"Save me." The blonde whispered desperately into the Martian's ear.

"Now!"

"Okay okay!" The blonde whined hesitantly letting go of her new guard, heading back to class as if there was a guillotine waiting for her.

"You got lucky this time Martian. Next time I'll have your head on a stick." Venus hissed in Rei's ear before she flipped her hair and walked away.

 **-End Flashback-**

"I think that was the first time I ever saw Rei look so distressed." Makoto laughed, remembering the pleading look Rei gave her when Usagi had her in her grasp.

"I thought she was going to kill me." Usagi pouted as tears welled up in her eyes once again.

"Well I guess that will teach you. Never sneak up on a Martian." Ami smiled as Usagi's eyes widened.

"Not you too Ami-chan! Rei-chan has been a bad influence on all of you!" Makoto and Ami laughed as Usagi threw a fit.

Rei stood with bow in hand, inhaling slowly as she pulled back the bowstring, focusing on her target. She exhaled and let her arrow fly, releasing all of her troubling thoughts of Minako as the arrow hit dead center.

"Nice shot." Makoto smiled as she walked up behind her friend.

"I said I wanted to be alone." Rei didn't even look over her shoulder as she grabbed another arrow, pulling it back.

"Yeah, yeah." Makoto dropped her big duffle bag, waving off the fire senshi's bitter comment.

Rei released her arrow, hitting dead center again before she sighed and turned to her comrade. "What do you want Makoto?"

Makoto just smiled and pulled out one of her many spears, looking at the wood with a hint of nostalgia. "Do you remember the first time we trained together Rei?" The brunette turned to her friend, a smile still on her face.

"Of course." Rei's scowl turned into a light smile.

 **-Flashback-**

Rei furiously shot arrow after arrow at her target as she went over the last run in she had with her commander. Yes, it was her duty to protect the princess, but she never agreed to being under the command of some egotistical Venusian. "Fucking savage." Rei mocked the blonde's voice, shooting her arrow more furiously. "I'll show you savage you stupid Venusian who-"

"Damn Rei, tell me how you really feel." Jupiter laughed, slowly approaching her new comrade, dropping a bundle of spears.

"I didn't hear you enter." Rei kept her gaze on her target, releasing another arrow as Makoto walked up beside her.

"I thought I'd find you here. I know the captain can be a bit . . . trying at times, but-"

"Save it." Rei grabbed another arrow, pulling back the bowstring. "Don't try to tell me that Venusian is anything more than a slut that would love to see my head on a stick."

"She is your captain." Rei released her arrow, missing her target upon hearing Makoto's stern words. "I know you don't like her and I know what the Venusians did back then was wrong, but you have to know she had no part in that." Jupiter picked up a spear and threw it at a target, hitting dead center.

"She may not have been part of it, but her ancestors, her family blood line ran the arena. They built the stone walls where my people were treated as dogs; the sands are still stained with the Martian blood that was spilled to amuse them. Spectating, laughing, and cheering as if death was nothing more than a game." Rei shot another arrow and sent it right through the center of Makoto's spear, splintering the wood.

"Nice shot . . ." The brunette mused to herself, forgetting their disagreement as she looked over at Rei. Shock filled her eyes when she saw the indent in the Martian's right wrist. "Wow, Minako's love me chain left a nasty mark. How were you able to bear that? It must have hurt like a bitch."

Rei absently looked at her wrist, staring at the hearts spiraling up it. "Life is pain. Love is pain. Death is pain. You can't escape it. The trick is not minding that it hurts."

"Wise words. I'll remember them." Makoto smiled lightly, picking up a spear and throwing it dead center again. "Now, let's see if you can do that nifty trick again where you hit my spear. Shall we make it a contest?"

"That is a contest you will lose Jovian." Rei grinned, pulling back another arrow, sending it flying towards Makoto's spear.

 **-End Flashback-**

"Even then you were deadly with a bow and sword." Makoto grinned, throwing her spear at the target.

"Training and meditating helps me clear my mind from troubling thoughts." Rei let loose an arrow, hitting the end of the spear, leaving her arrow sticking out the back of it.

"Well what is troubling your thoughts as of late?" Makoto threw another spear.

"Nice try Makoto, I'm not going to give in that easily." Rei rolled her eyes, going to grab another arrow, but frowned when she saw she was out.

"Looks like you're out of arrows. I win the contest this time." The brunette smirked, walking with her friend to sit down in the grass.

"That's just a fluke." Rei waved off the Jovian's boastful comment, settling herself in the grass, absently picking at it.

"Rei . . ." Makoto grabbed the raven haired girl's hand. "We're all worried about you. What happened?"

The brunette was shocked when she saw the normally strong girls eyes fill up with tears, refusing to make eye contact. "I did something stupid Makoto . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"The other night . . . after we fought that youma . . . Minako . . . I . . . we had sex and I told her I love her. I didn't mean to. It just slipped out and she . . . she ran away as if I told her she was going to die tomorrow. . ."

"Wow . . ." Makoto sat back on her hands, looking up at the sky, then looking back to her distraught friend. "Why would she run away like that? She's the goddess of love after all."

"I don't know." A stray tear fell down Rei's face.

Makoto was quick to pull her friend into a hug. "Hey, don't cry Rei-chan. Everything will be okay." Rei just gripped her friend tightly, crying lightly into her shoulder as Makoto soothingly rubbed her back. "Did you mean it . . .?"

Rei pulled back confused, wiping her tears. "Mean what?"

"That you love her. Do you?"

"I . . . I don't know . . . It all happened so fast. I wasn't thinking and it just kind of . . . slipped out." The raven haired girl blushed, looking down at the grass. "I mean, I've been having different feelings towards her these past couple of weeks, but I didn't think it was love."

"I see." Makoto nodded, leaning back again. "Well Rei, you're both my friends, and I don't want to see either of you get hurt. What she did was wrong and I understand why you've been so cold towards her. I would be hurt if Ami did that to me. Maybe she just needs some time."

"I don't care." Rei said bitterly, picking at the grass a little more aggressively. "She can do whatever she wants. I'll never be that stupid again."

"Rei . . ." Makoto put her hand on the raven haired girl's shoulder. "Life is pain. Love is pain. Death is pain. You can't escape it. The trick is not minding that it hurts. You told me that and I never forgot it, I hope you haven't either. I know you're hurting right now and you don't want to deal with it. I'll give you your space . . . just know that I'm here for you if you need me." Makoto stood up, wiping off her pants.

"Thanks . . ." Rei said softly, looking down, trying to block out thoughts of the blonde as her friend walked away.

Down a couple of streets Minako laid in her bed, barely paying attention to the show on her tv. Her mind was too busy with thoughts of Rei, her touch, her kiss, and then the look in her eyes when she walked out on her. Those eyes haunted her.

"Hey Minako-chan. I didn't hear you come in." Artemis yawned, stretching out his paws before he jumped up onto the blonde's bed only to be met with sad blue eyes blankly staring at the tv. "Oi, Minako-chan . . . is everything alright?"

"I'm fine . . ." Minako said blandly, keeping her gaze away from her pet and adviser.

"You don't seem fine. Did something happen?" The white cat sat in front of the blonde's face, blocking her view.

"It's Rei-chan . . ."

"What happened this time?" Artemis tilted his head to the side, curiously looking at his charge.

"I . . . did something stupid . . ."

"Well that's nothing new." The white cat joked, but the smile fell from his face when he saw the sideways glance Minako sent him with no fight in her eyes. "I'm sorry . . . I mean, what did you do?"

"I . . . I had sex with Rei-chan."

"You what!?" The feline fell off of the bed in shock, slowly climbing back up when he composed himself. "How did that happen Minako-chan!?"

"We were out drinking . . . I went to her place and it kind of just . . . happened."

"That was beyond irresponsible." Artemis chided.

"She told me that she loves me . . ." The white cat took on a more somber look when he saw the look on Minako's face.

"Oh? And what did you say?"

The blonde shook her head, tears filling her eyes. "Nothing."

"Minako . . ." Artemis cuddled up to the blonde, trying to comfort her.

"She hates me now Artemis and I deserve it. I just left her there." Tears spilled out of Minako's blue eyes as she hugged her friend close to her.

"Now, now Minako, everything will be ok." Minako just buried her face further into his fur in response. "Do you . . . love her?"

Minako pulled away from her friend, looking at the wall. "I don't know . . . It all happened so fast. I've had deeper feelings for her as of late and I know I like her a lot, I just don't know if I love her."

"Then why don't you tell her that?"

"I can't . . . She hates me and probably never wants to see me again." The Venusian looked down at her bed sheets, shame taking over.

"You guys are a team." The white cat started sternly. "You need to put your personal feelings aside and make things right."

"I don't want to." The blonde rolled over childishly, turning her back on her adviser.

"Are you the leader?" Artemis put his paws on the blonde's side.

". . . yeah." Minako looked over her shoulder at her feline friend.

"Then act like it." Artemis jumped onto the window sill, heading outside.

The senshi of love mulled over Artemis' words as she gazed at the window he left out of. His words sounded oddly familiar. 'I will.' Minako thought to herself. 'I just need a little more time.' The blonde sighed, closing her eyes, letting sleep take over.

 **-Flashback-**

Minako stormed into her room after her run in with the Martian, her sexual appetite completely gone after Rei's comment. "Who does she think she is!?" The blonde punched the wall. "Treating me, AINO MINAKO, as if I'm some diseased common whore!" The Venusian threw a nearby vase at the wall.

"Minako!? Is everything okay?" Artemis came running into the blonde's room when he heard the sound of things breaking. He stopped in his tracks, looking around the room when he saw the damage that had been done. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"That stupid fucking SAVAGE keeps undermining me at every turn! Treating me as if I'm some common whore! When I agreed to do this I wasn't told I would have to deal with a barbaric, stubborn Martian!" Minako glared at her adviser accusingly.

"Minako, you need to get a hold of yourself." Artemis started sternly.

"Why!? Why should I have to deal with this ridiculous nonsense? You can't possibly expect me to train this savage!"

"I don't expect it." Artemis stepped forward. "I demand it. You are acting like a spoiled child who got told no to a second dessert. I know that Martians and Venusians have their differences, but you are to put those differences aside. You are a team now and you must learn to work together. Rise as one or fall divided."

"She is the one who is making this difficult! Not me. I have been nothing but nice to her and she repays me with backhanded comments and this!" Minako pointed to the mark Rei left on her forehead when she headbutted the blonde during training.

"Are you the leader?" The older man asked, seemingly out of the blue, causing the senshi of love to look at her adviser and friend confused.

". . . yes."

"Then act like it." Artemis' tone dropped to a growl as he left the room, slamming the door behind him, and leaving the commander alone with her thoughts.

* * *

 **AN: Reviews and constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So here is Chapter 4 as promised again. Work and life are getting crazy so my updates might be coming a little later than expected, but it would be updated by Sunday at the latest. The song I use in this chapter is called Clementine by Sarah Jaffe, I definitely recommend checking it out if you get the chance. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter** **4: Clementine**

"She did what!?" Usagi spit out her drink, her cheeks a dark red when Makoto revealed what she knew about Rei and Minako.

"Poor Rei." Ami frowned, looking down at the table they occupied at their favorite spot.

"What are we going to do?" The blonde looked back and forth between her friends.

"I don't think we can do anything Usagi. This is something Minako and Rei have to figure out on their own." Makoto commented solemnly, taking a drink from her soda.

"Oh! Oh! I know!" Usagi jumped up and down excitedly in her seat. "We should shove them both into a closet, lock them in it until they stop being stupid, and when they make up we can let them out!"

"Rei would just burn the door down." Ami sighed. "Maybe we could talk to Minako. She's obviously confused and she's the only one who can fix this." The blunette played with the straw in her drink.

"That sounds good." Makoto smiled over at her secret lover.

"I like my plan better." Usagi pouted, slouching in her seat.

Meanwhile at the Hikawa shrine Rei laid her in bed, her ipod playing a sad tune as she wistfully looked out the window, thinking about a certain goddess.

 **50 states**  
 **50 lines**  
 **50 crying all the time's**  
 **50 boys**  
 **50 lies**  
 **50 i'm gonna change my mind's**  
 **i changed my mind**  
 **i changed my mind**  
 **now i feel indifferent**

Rei sighed, closing her eyes, seeing those gorgeous sapphire eyes looking back at her, a light smile playing on the blonde's face. She remembered everything. The feel of her skin underneath her fingertips, how soft her lips felt against her own, the delicious sounds she made when she was inside of her. How her body moved against her own and how perfect it felt to be that intimate. Then she recalled the look Minako gave her when she told her that she loved her and how her heart sank when she walked away. She bit her lower lip, trying not to think about that part.

 **we were young**  
 **we were young**  
 **we were young we didn't care**  
 **is it gone**  
 **is it gone**  
 **is it floating in the air?**  
 **i changed my mind**  
 **i changed my mind**  
 **now i feel indifferent**

Minako laid in her bed a bit away as well, thinking similar thoughts. Her heart felt heavy in her chest as she remembered how the pyro touched her, how she pulled her close, and kissed her like she really meant it. The moment was more perfect than she could have ever imagined it. All of their banter, all of their secret looks, all of their subtle comments, it meant something and it all lead up to that heavenly moment. She had stumbled upon something special. Something she never knew was even there that was right in front of her face and she ruined it. The look in Rei's eyes when she pulled away from her hot touch hurt the blonde more than any of her harsh words possibly could. She knew Rei was just covering up her true feelings.

 **all that time, wasted**  
 **i wish i was a little more delicate**  
 **i wish my**  
 **i wish my**  
 **i wish my**  
 **i wish my**  
 **i wish my name was clementine**

Rei bit her lower lip as tears sprung up to her eyes, desperately trying to keep her thoughts away from that damned Venusian. The archer quickly wiped away the stray tear that fell down her face. Thinking about that blonde and that night was useless. 'Me sitting here sulking changes nothing. It only makes me feel like shit all over again.' Rei got up on her feet quickly, grabbing her bow. 'Maybe some target practice will help.'

The guilt was eating away at Minako and she couldn't take it anymore as she sat up in her bed. 'I can't let this continue. We're going to have to talk about this eventually. We're a team and I'm the captain. I may not be able to reveal my true feelings, I mean I don't even fully understand them myself, but I have to at least try to make things civil between us again.' With her decision made Minako put on her shoes and headed towards the Hikawa Shrine. When Minako arrived she was struck with a sense of deja vu as she ascended up the stairs.

 **-Flashback-  
**

Venus bit her lower lip nervously as she headed to the training ground she knew she was sure to find the Martian. She hadn't come up with an exact plan on how to make things more civil between her and Rei. Sure she could pull rank on the girl and tell her to put up or shut up, but she had a feeling that wouldn't exactly evoke respect from the newcomer. "Guess I'll just have to wing it." The blonde sighed as she rounded the corner only to see the raven haired girl trying to produce fire in her hand only for it to extinguish a couple seconds later.

"Ugh! Come on!" Rei let out a yell of frustration. The archer held out her hand again only to receive the same results.

"You don't know how to use your powers yet . . .?" Minako made her presence known as she curiously walked up to her subordinate.

"I can use them." The Martian snapped, turning her head to the blonde.

"Oh, my mistake." The blonde smiled, crossing her arms. "By all means then, show me what you can do."

"Gladly." Rei held out her hand, a bow of fire started to form, but it disappeared almost as soon as it had appeared. The Martian looked to the side when the fire extinguished, she didn't want to see the smug look on the Venusian's face. She was surprised when she felt the blonde walk up behind her and lightly grab her hand.

"You need to focus all of your energy into what you're trying to create. Clear your mind of everything else and focus on pushing all of your emotions, your energy, and power into the palm of your hand."

An uncharacteristic blush formed on the raven haired girl's face as she tried to focus on what the blonde told her to do instead of Minako's breath on the back of her neck. They stood there for a minute, both very aware of how close they were. The raven haired girl knit her brow in frustration, trying desperately to focus, but found it extremely hard to do with the blonde being in such close proximity. Rei closed her eyes, trying desperately to block out the feeling of Minako's heavy and now ragged breath on her neck, focusing everything she had into the palm of her hand. When she opened her eyes she saw a bow proudly blazing in her hand.

"Wow . . ." The archer marveled at her work as the blonde took a step back, a light blush adorning her face.

"Neat trick." Venus smiled.

"I . . ." Rei started, looking away from the bow, finding it hard to find the right words to thank her new leader.

"I actually came here to talk to you Rei." Minako bit her lower lip, mustering up the courage to confront the gorgeous girl standing in front of her. "I know you don't like me or my people. What happened in the past was an atrocity of great magnitude and despite what my own bloodline did I hope you know that I would never take part in such senseless violence. That being said; we may have our differences and we may not see eye to eye on certain things, but we've all been brought here for a reason. We need to learn to work as a team. A single impenetrable unit. If we can't do that then we're all doomed. You may not like it, but I am your commander and it would be nice if you gave me a little respect. There are many things we can learn from each other and I hope you will come around. We need your strength and skill."

The raven haired girl stood there silently, taking in everything Minako told her, a new-found respect and admiration forming for her commander. The blonde had guts and she didn't pussyfoot around the subject. Most people were much too afraid of Martians to ever tell them what they really thought.

"I'll leave you to your training." Venus grew too anxious from the silence, unsure if it was a good or bad thing so she decided leaving the Martian would probably be the best course of action right now.

Minako turned to leave and was heading towards the door, but stopped in her tracks when she heard the familiar voice of the archer behind her. "When you attack you lower your guard." The blonde raised an eyebrow, turning around and facing her crush once more.

"Then I shall see it raised." Venus smiled.

"You're usually one step ahead, but in battle you need to be two or three steps ahead. Every time you attack you should already be thinking about how your opponent can deflect it, what they'll do next, and then what you plan to do in return." Mars instructed, making eye contact with the blonde, but looked away blushing when she felt those blue eyes looking too intently at her.

"I'll be sure to do that. Thanks." Minako couldn't help that her smile widened when she saw the raven haired girl blush for the second time that day and refuse to make eye contact with her. Martians weren't well known for their apologies, but she knew this was Rei's way of saying she was sorry for how she acted. "I'll see you at training tomorrow Rei. Let me know if you need any more instruction on controlling your powers." With that said the blonde left the training grounds with a little skip in her step, pleasantly surprised with how the conversation went.

 **-End Flashback-  
**

Rei shot arrow after arrow at her target, barely missing the center every time, her lack of focus was apparent, and it was starting to frustrate the archer beyond belief. Rei pulled out another arrow, focusing as much as she could as she pulled back her bowstring.

"Hey Rei . . ."

Rei lost all focus when she heard Minako's voice and accidentally let the arrow fly too early. The arrow completely missed the target this time and all the raven haired girl could do was pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration. "What do you want Minako? I told everyone I wanted to be left alone."

"I know." Minako sighed, walking up to her friend. "But we need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about." Rei went to grab another arrow, but Minako stilled her hand, grabbing it lightly.

"Yes there is." The blonde looked solemnly at the miko, making eye contact with those sad dark eyes. "I'm sorry about everything that happened. I'm just really-"

"You don't need to do this." Rei bristled, looking away from those blue eyes. "It didn't mean anything. We were just drunk." Rei knew she was lying as the words came out of her mouth, but she couldn't bare to be rejected a second time.

"Oh . . ." Rei's hand slipped out of Minako's and the senshi of love felt her heart break. "Well . . . that's beside the point." Minako swallowed back her pain and let her instincts of being a leader take over. "You've been avoiding everyone, including your princess. There haven't been many youma lately, but that's no reason to slack off. I may not be your favorite person right now, but we both need to put our personal feelings aside and keep training. We need to work together as a team or else we will be ill-prepared next time a youma attacks." Minako's frown deepened when she saw the lack of response from her crush. "We are going to go hiking in a couple of days and train on top of the mountain nearby. You better be there." With that said Minako quickly walked away, brushing away the stray tear that fell down her face as she descended down the steps of the Hikawa Shrine.

As Minako walked into her room defeated she was met with the sight of all of her friends sitting on her bed, excluding Rei. "What are you guys doing here?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, closing the door behind her.

"Where have you been?" Usagi was the first to jump up to interrogate their friend. "Did you and Rei-chan make up?"

"Make up?" Minako looked at her princess confused. 'Do they all know already?'

"We know what happened." Makoto spoke up, her eyes piercing her commanders, answering her silent question.

Minako sighed, slumping into a nearby chair. "How did you guys find out?"

"Rei told me."

"She did?" Minako looked up at the brunette, even more confused than before.

"Yeah, she's really upset Minako." Makoto sighed, standing up and stretching.

"And for good reason!" Usagi jumped in again, heading towards her blonde guard. "You can't just toy with Rei-chan like that! She's more sensitive than she lets on."

"Usagi-chan . . ." Ami started carefully, trying to calm their easily excitable princess.

"It's not as cut and dry as you all think." Minako defensively put up her hands. "It's not that I don't like Rei or that I don't care about her . . . I'm just confused."

"About what?" Usagi stopped in her tracks and abandoned her planned assault on Minako. "Rei-chan can be the meanest out of anyone at times, but she's a great, loyal, beautiful person. I mean, if it was me I wouldn't have turned her down like that."

"What!?" Everyone turned their attention towards their princess, their mouths hanging open at Usagi's confession.

Usagi turned bright red almost instantly when she felt all eyes on her. "I . . .uh . . . well . . ."

Minako knew it was wrong, but she couldn't stop the feeling of jealousy bubbling up in her stomach. "Well it wasn't you." The blonde snapped, immediately regretting it when everyone turned their attention back on her. "It was me . . ." Minako looked down, tears filling her eyes for the millionth time. "And you're right . . . I completely screwed up and I know it. I'm trying to make things right, but it's not that easy. I talked to Rei just now and she still doesn't want anything to do with me. I snapped and acted like a jerk again. I told her we're going on a hike in a couple of days and she had better be there."

"Not a hike!" Usagi whined, dropping her arms and pouting like a child.

"Maybe you guys can talk then." Ami chimed in, standing up next to Makoto.

"And maybe the hike will get the princess in better shape." The brunette grinned as Usagi turned on her.

"I'm in perfect shape!"

"Oh, well then a hike should be a breeze for you." Makoto smiled as the blonde turned pale at the mere thought of walking up a mountain.

A couple days later the group waited at the bottom of the mountain, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the pyro.

"I don't think she's coming. Maybe we should just do this another day." Usagi said hopefully, trying to weasel her way out of exercising once again.

"No, she'll be here soon. She knows this is important." Minako narrowed her eyes, looking out into the distance where she expected her crush's form to appear.

"You're late." Minako heard Makoto's cheerful tone behind her, turning around to see the girl she had been looking for.

"Sorry." Rei looked off to the side, avoiding eye contact with the blonde at all costs. "I got lost in the flames. I didn't realize what time it was."

"It's fine." Minako jumped in, stepping towards her subordinate. "Let's get going before the princess runs away." The Venusian grinned as Usagi stopped her retreat when she realized she was caught.

"But it's too tall!" Usagi whined.

"Come on Usagi." Rei grinned, teasingly rubbing the blonde's head and running off before she could retaliate. "The glory of kami is all around us princess!" The pyro walked backwards, opening her arms to empathize her point. "Trees! Frogs! Birdie birds!"

"What is wrong with people!?" Usagi cried dramatically.

"Look how fun this is!" Makoto laughed, helping Ami up a hill as the rest of the group followed Rei. Seeing as no one was going to stop the princess sighed slowly following the group.

"We did it." Usagi let out a sigh of relief, slumping to the ground as the others turned to her with a perplexed look on their faces.

"Usagi . . . we've only been walking for five minutes . . ." Ami frowned disapprovingly at their princess.

"No, no, no!" Rei stalked up to their princess. "Come on dumpling head, you can do this." The archer tried to drag the blonde to her feet to no avail.

"Yeah, but you know what Rei I don't want to do it and it's really liberating to say no to things you hate. So you go ahead. You live your truth and I'll be here living my truth." The blonde smiled.

Rei looked down at the princess, seemingly debating something in her head before she simply let Usagi go. "Ok." Rei smiled and shrugged, running off and grabbing a stick to pretend to sword fight Makoto.

"Or we could all just go back to the shrine!" Usagi yelled desperately after her friends.

"See you in a bit." Minako grinned, running to catch up with the others.

"But I don't have a stick!" Usagi whined. ". . .Ami?"

Ami was already too far gone, laughing and pretending to sword fight Minako as they made their way up the mountain.

One hour later Rei was no longer laughing as she trailed behind the others. "Come on Rei! Try to keep up!" Makoto laughed, walking backwards up the trail as they neared the top of the mountain.

"Shut up!" Rei gritted her teeth, her legs screaming at her more and more with every step she took.

"Tell me Usagi." Minako slowed down so Rei could catch up. "How did you convince Rei to give you a piggy back ride up the entire mountain?" The blonde laughed.

"It's easy! Rei-chan would do anything for me!" Usagi smiled happily, hugging Rei even tighter around her neck, causing the pyro to start choking a bit.

"Usagi . . can't . . . breathe. . . " Rei's face started getting very red as she fell to her knees, gasping for air.

Minako felt the familiar feeling of jealousy bubbling in her stomach again as the princess' words played over and over again in her head. 'I shouldn't feel like this . . . especially towards Usagi . . .' Minako frowned, shaking her head and walking away before she said or did anything she regretted. She turned around to make sure Rei was ok only to find the princess sprawled out on top of HER Reiko.

"Rei-chan! You got my outfit dirty!" Usagi whined, finally standing up on her own as Rei laid on the ground. The miko could only glare up at the blonde, still trying to catch her breath after being choked.

"Well then maybe you should learn to walk on your own two feet." Minako couldn't keep the bite out of her tone as she walked up to the two girls, offering her hand to help Rei up. Usagi simply responded by sticking her tongue out at her friend, running to catch up with Makoto and Ami at the top of the mountain.

"Thanks . . ." The fire senshi said quietly, gratefully grabbing the blonde's hand.

Minako swiftly pulled her subordinate up to her feet only to find their faces were mere centimeters away from each other. "It's . .. um . . ." Minako trailed off, getting lost in those eyes that reminded her of summer nights in the desert, where you could see every star sparkling in the sky. Her blue eyes slowly trailed down to those lips that were pressed against hers just a couple days before. She licked her lips as she remembered how the pyro tasted and how soft her lips really are. The senshi of love felt herself slowly leaning in towards Rei without a thought of what she was doing when Makoto's voice suddenly rang out behind them.

"Come on guys! We're almost there!"

Rei was the first to break out of the trance the blonde put her in, a bright red blush on her face. "We're coming!"

"Rei . . ." Minako started, but Rei ran off before the blonde could say anything. "You're welcome." The blonde sighed, walking up the rest of the mountain to catch up with her friends.

When Minako made it to the top of the mountain she couldn't help but smile a bit despite how she felt when she saw Rei and Makoto playfully sparring with wooden sticks. Deja vu hit her again as she walked up to the group.

 **-Flashback-**

Venus walked onto the training grounds, surprised to already see Rei and Makoto training while Ami sat on a bench typing on her computer.

"Hey guys." Minako couldn't help but smile when Mars turned her full attention on her. "I see you started training early."

"I was just teaching this Martian how a real warrior fights." Makoto playfully pushed Rei.

"I believe I was the teacher and you were the student." Rei grinned, pushing Makoto back.

"Maybe you could instruct me next?" The blonde smiled, pulling out her sword. "And maybe Makoto could instruct Ami so she can get more practice in with a sword rather than a computer."

"It would be my pleasure." Rei stood at the ready, gripping her sword tightly as she waited for the blonde to make a move.

Minako didn't give a warning as she ran at the Martian, raising her sword and swinging to swipe off the other girl's head. Rei skillfully ducked, dropping to one knee, and jabbing her sword forward, aiming for the Venusian's midsection. Minako jumped to the side and swung down to once again decapitate her subordinate, but Rei rolled behind the blonde, dodging the blow. Minako was about to turn around, but felt the pointy end of the Martian's sword lightly touching her back. "You lowered your guard again."

"I'll be sure to pay more attention next time." Minako smiled, turning around, swinging her sword at the pyro's midsection, trying to catch her off-guard. Rei jumped backwards, the tip of Minako's sword barely missing her stomach. The blonde took this opportunity to swing at Rei's arm, but her blade was met with the steel of the Martian's deflecting her attack. Minako duck rolled to the right as Rei took the offensive and jumped forward, swinging downwards only to have her blade meet the sand. Rei tucked her shoulder and rolled to the side, barely avoiding having her head cut off as the blonde swung at her neck again. On her knees once more Rei swung her sword, aiming for the blonde's ankles. Minako jumped, watching the blade slice through the air underneath her and she saw her opportunity when Rei raised her sword once more, trying to get to her feet. Using the Martian's own move against her Venus kicked Mars in the chest, sending her flying onto her back. Rei went to stand up, but was met with the blonde's blade pointed at her throat.

"I see you learned a few new tricks." Rei smiled and Minako couldn't stop the butterflies that filled her stomach. It was the first real smile Rei had directed at her.

"I have a great teacher." Minako put her blade away, smiling as she offered her hand to her subordinate.

Rei laughed a little as she grabbed the blonde's hand and was pulled to her feet. The laughter died in her throat when she realized how close she was to her commander. She hated to admit it, but there was something very alluring about those blue eyes that resembled the ocean. An ocean so deep and vast that you might just get lost and drown in it if you weren't careful. Rei could feel the tide rising and she was starting to get dragged under by that beautiful stare and plump pink lips. The pyro absently licked her lips, wanting desperately to get a taste of that forbidden fruit, but the sound of clashing steel reminded her of where she was and she took a step back, her head rising above water.

"Shall we continue training?" The Martian smiled, trying not to show her interest.

"Sure." Venus grinned, pulling out her sword. "Teach me a lesson." The blonde winked and this time Rei couldn't stop the blush that formed on her cheeks. She had been caught.

* * *

 **AN: There it is! Feedback would be great. Your guys' awesome reviews is what keeps me going :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I wasn't sure if I would be able to put up a chapter this week, but I somehow found the time to throw this together. The song I use in this one is 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: A Thousand Year**

Rei walked slowly behind the group, deep in thought as the girls made their descent down the mountain. She had made her mind up and decided to act as if nothing happened between her and the blonde, but found it difficult to follow through with Minako walking right in front of her in short shorts. The raven haired girl found herself mesmerized by the sway of her hips, how her muscle's flexed ever so lightly every time she took a step, and she could practically feel that perfectly toned ass in her hands, that night playing over and over again in her head.

"Whatcha lookin' at Rei-chan?" Came an annoyingly familiar voice.

"Nothing." The archer defensively folder her arms, looking off to the side.

"She's pretty isn't she?" Usagi smiled knowingly at her friend.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rei huffed, walking faster to get away from her prying princes.

Minako's ears perked when she heard the two conversing behind her. She couldn't make out what was being said and before she could eavesdrop more attentively she saw Rei quickly brush past her, making her way up to Makoto and Ami.

"What was that about?" Minako raised an eyebrow, slowing her pace to match Usagi's.

"Rei-chan is just being Rei-chan." Usagi smiled, seemingly unaffected by Rei's behavior.

"Ok . . . is something going on between you two?" Minako raised an eyebrow, trying to suppress the green monster that so desperately wanted to escape. She had to stop herself from strangling the other blonde when she only responded with laughter. The senshi of love was about to give her princess a mouthful when she felt her foot catch on none other than Usagi's ankle. Minako went tumbling forward, running into the one person she shouldn't, knocking Rei down to the ground with her.

"You're just as clumsy as dumpling head." Rei groaned.

"Don't blame me!" Minako pushed herself up on her hands, a blush spreading on her cheeks when she saw she was hovering over her crush.

Rei's cheeks matched Minako's shade of red, her eyes focusing on those plump lips she wanted to make her own. She had to stop herself from running her hands up the back of the blonde's long legs and capturing her lips in a searing kiss when Minako bit her bottom lip, her eyes darkening to a blue velvet.

"Jeez, get a room you two." Usagi teased, pushing Minako's butt with her foot as she walked by, causing the Venusian's hands to slip from the ground, putting her full weight on Rei.

"Dumpling head!" Rei scrambled out from under Minako as if the blonde had burned her, running after Usagi.

Usagi turned around, sticking her tongue out at the archer before she took off in a run down the mountain, leaving Minako to pick herself up, her heart heavy at the feeling of Rei running away from her. All she could hear was Usagi's cries and everyone's laughter as she made her way back to the group.

"Maybe if you took training more seriously you wouldn't fall flat on your face when you run away." Rei growled, crossing her arms as she hovered over the crying princess.

"Rei-chan is so mean!" Usagi rubbed her eyes, crying into her hands.

"You're the one tripping and kicking people." Minako scowled, catching up to everyone.

"That's not very becoming behavior of a princess." Makoto teased.

"They have a point Usagi-chan." Ami sighed.

"Not you too Ami-chan!" Usagi wailed. "I was just trying to help!"

"There's nothing to help. So stop wasting your time and stop meddling in things that aren't any of your business." Rei hissed, storming down the rest of the mountain, leaving the rest of the group to look after the fire senshi.

"I'll handle this." Minako sighed, sending Usagi one last glare as she went running down the mountain after Rei.

"I know you're trying to help Usagi-chan, but these things take time." Ami frowned, helping her princess up off the ground. "You can't force them to be together."

"But they obviously love each other so much." Usagi frowned, looking out after the pair of girls.

"That's for them to discover on their own." Makoto chimed in, slowly walking down the mountain with her comrades.

"What if they never do?" Usagi's question hung in the air as the three of them solemnly thought on the matter.

"Hey! Wait up!" Minako ran after the obviously irritated miko. When she finally caught up to her she lightly grabbed the other girls hand only for her to yank it away.

"Don't." Rei picked up her pace, getting further from the mountain and closer to the shrine where she could be away from everyone and finally be alone with her thoughts.

"Rei-chan stop!" Minako felt herself growing more and more frustrated with her subordinate as she continued on her path, ignoring her. "That's an order!" Rei stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes narrowing at the blonde's command.

"What do you want?" Rei crossed her arms, unable to hide how irritated she was.

"What's your problem? Why did you just run off like that?" Minako frowned, stepping in front of the raven haired girl.

"I don't have a problem." Rei smiled an obviously fake smile at the blonde.

"You obviously do so spit it out." Minako kept pushing.

"I don't need this." Rei went to step around the blonde, but Minako took the same step, cutting the fire senshi off. "Get out of my way." Rei growled, trying to step around the girl a second time only to be cut off again and be met with those challenging blue eyes.

"No, not until you tell me what's up."

"Kami! Does your ego really need that much more inflating!? Can't you see this is hard enough for me without you throwing yourself on top of me and rubbing the whole situation in my face!?" Rei's eyes brimmed with tears, but she quickly put herself back in check.

"I didn't do anything! Usagi tripped me!" Minako defending herself, her heart silently sinking when she heard Rei's words, getting a flash of those sad eyes again when she walked out on her crush.

"Yeah, yeah. It's never your fault is it? Tell it to someone who gives a shit." Rei finally successfully stormed past Minako, heading towards the shrine.

"Rei!" Minako yelled out after her subordinate. "Come back here right now! I'm your commander!"

"Command this." Rei flipped off the blonde as she continued on her walk. She could practically feel Minako's stare burning a hole in the back of her head as she got further and further away.

"Well that looked like that went well." Usagi sent the blonde a tentative smile when the rest of them caught up only to receive a glare in response.

Once Rei got back to the shrine she was quick to grab her broom and start sweeping the steps, her mind overloaded with way too many thoughts racing through it. "She thinks she's so perfect. Nothing is ever her fault." Rei mumbled to herself, furiously sweeping. The raven haired girl stopped her movement when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned around quickly only to find nobody there. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched, but there was no one in sight. The miko grew more and more uneasy as the feeling lingered. "Who's there!?" She called out only to have the whistling of the wind respond. "That's just fucking creepy . . ." She mumbled to herself slowly walking up the steps, wielding her broom as if it would be a sufficient weapon. "Usagi?" She cautiously walked through the courtyard. "Minako?" She checked behind a tree, ready to defend herself whenever necessary, but there was nothing there. "If this is some kind of joke it isn't funny!" Rei walked around the outskirts of the shrine, the feeling of being watched by a predator sending chills down her spine. Rei walked around the entire shrine, checked every room, every corner, but was left empty handed. Eventually the awful sensation faded, but it didn't stop the girl from feeling uneasy. "I must be losing it." Rei sighed to herself, putting her broom away, settling herself in front of the flames, deciding that some meditation was very much needed at this point.

 **-Flashback-**

"Did you hear? Did you hear?" Serenity ran up to her training guards excitedly.

"Hear what?" Venus raised an eyebrow, sheathing her sword.

"There's going to be a ball tomorrow night! We're celebrating being united at last!" The princess jumped up and down, clapping her hands.

"Is attendance mandatory?" Mars sighed, sitting down on a bench.

"Yes! Especially you!" Serenity stalked up to her new guard.

"Are balls not customary on your planet?" Jupiter smiled, sitting next to her friend.

"We have balls, but only if we've won some sort of battle or war." The Martian took a swig of her water, looking disinterested at the wall.

"Do we all get to dress up?" Venus grinned, looking over at Mars. Seeing the normally brooding girl in a dress would be a pleasant change.

"Of course!" The princess smiled, grabbing the other blonde's hands giddily.

"Great . . ." Mars grumbled.

"I can't wait to see you all dressed up Rei-chan!" Serenity let go of Minako's hands, running over to Rei, giving her all of her attention.

"How am I supposed to protect you in a constricting dress?" The raven haired girl sighed.

"You won't. We'll have other guards for that silly! Tomorrow night is about all of us celebrating so stop looking so grim!" Serenity stuck her tongue out at her guard.

"I don't think you're going to be able to get out of this one Rei-chan." Mercury smiled, sitting next to Jupiter, blushing when her thigh accidentally touched the others.

"I didn't sign up for this." Rei pinched the bridge of her nose, the familiar feeling of irritation taking over.

"Can't wait to see you all there!" Serenity ignored the obviously annoyed Martian, running off to go pick out her dress.

The next night Mars found herself in the same position she was in the day before, pinching the bridge of her nose, standing in her own corner of the ballroom filled with music while the Lunarians danced.

"Rei-chan! You look so pretty!" The princess smiled happily, wearing a long semi-transparent white dress. Rei was sporting a tight blood red dress that stopped at mid thigh with matching red heals, the outfit advertised her home planet's colors, showing off her perfect curves and long tan legs.

"Thanks." An uncharacteristic blush formed on the Martian's face. "You look very nice yourself. Your dress is very becoming."

"A Martian in a dress. Now I've seen everything." Jupiter grinned, walking up to the two girls, wearing a green dress a little longer than Rei's.

"Shut up . . ." Mars grumbled, trying to hide her uncomfortable blush.

"You look very nice Rei-chan. Don't let Jupiter give you a hard time." Mercury smiled, walking to the group in her loose blue dress with white trim about the same length as Rei's.

"You look um . . ." Makoto blushed, looking the shorter girl up and down.

"Thanks. You do too." Mercury giggled. "Would you care to get a drink with me?"

"Yeah, definitely." Jupiter smiled. "You want one too guys?"

"Yes! Bring me something sweet!" Serenity smiled.

"Make mine extra strong." Mars sighed. Serenity was bad enough sober, she couldn't imagine how bad she was intoxicated. "Where's the commander? Is it customary for Venusian's to always be late?"

"Why do you care if she's here or not? I thought you didn't care for her?" Serenity grinned over at her new guard.

"I don't." Rei quickly defended herself. "I just thought she'd be the first one at a ball so she could flirt with as many people as possible."

"I think you like her." The princess poked Mars in the side, her smile widening.

"Don't be ridiculous." The raven haired girl swatted the blonde's hand away. "I've never heard anything more absurd in my life."

"Mhmm, I'm sure." Serenity rocked back and forth on her heals, her smile widening when she saw the topic of their conversation arrive at the top of the stairs. "There she is."

 **Heart beats fast**  
 **Colors and promises**  
 **How to be brave**  
 **How can I love when I'm afraid**  
 **To fall**  
 **But watching you stand alone**  
 **All of my doubt**  
 **Suddenly goes away somehow**

 **One step closer**

Mars followed the princess' line of sight and for a moment it felt like time stood still as her violet eyes traveled up the stair case and she drank in the sight of Venus. She was wearing a tight white dress with gold trim similar to hers, stopping mid thigh with white and gold heals. Her hair flowed down her back and in that moment Mars felt like all the air had been sucked out of her.

"She's pretty isn't she?" Serenity whispered to the Martian.

"A-huh . . ." Mars agreed dumbly without realizing it, her eyes making contact with those blue ones. A smile formed on the Venusian's face as she descended gracefully down the staircase when she saw the Martian openly staring at her.

"Here you go Rei!" Makoto smiled, walking back up to the girls only to receive no response from the Martian. "Rei? Reiiii." Jupiter slowly moved the Martian's drink around in front of her face to get her attention. "Earth to Rei!"

 **I have died every day**  
 **waiting for you**  
 **Darlin' don't be afraid**  
 **I have loved you for a**  
 **Thousand years**  
 **I'll love you for a**  
 **Thousand more**

Mars snapped out of her stupor, forgetting there was anyone else in the room. "Huh? Yeah? I'm listening." The raven haired girl blushed, obviously flustered.

"I got your drink. It's extra strong like you wanted." Jupiter handed Mars the cup. "What is so fascinating over there?" Jupiter looked where the Martian had been transfixed to see Minako heading their way. "The commander . . .?" The brunette raised an eyebrow to which Mars replied to by quickly turning her attention to her drink, practically chugging it.

"Hey guys." Venus smiled, standing in front of Mars. "I see you're already getting nice and liquored up. You look stunning Mars. You should wear dresses more often." The blonde smiled and winked at the raven haired girl. Mars' blush turned a deeper red, making her cheeks almost match her dress as she polished off her drink.

"You look . . ." Mars started thinking of all the words she could use to describe the Venusian. 'Beautiful, gorgeous, perfect, ravishing, divine, breathtaking.' " . . . nice."

 **Time stands still**  
 **beauty in all she is**  
 **I will be brave**  
 **I will not let anything**  
 **Take away**  
 **What's standing in front of me**  
 **Every breath,**  
 **Every hour has come to this**

 **One step closer**

"Gee, you sure know how to smooth talk the ladies." Jupiter laughed, elbowing her friend in the ribs. "She was totally checking you out."

"I would rather die." Mars scowled at her friend, her blush seeming to be permanent at this point.

"That's not what you said earlier." Serenity intervened before Minako could get offended.

"Oh? What were you saying about me Reiko?" Minako's smile grew with Rei's discomfort.

"She agreed that you're . . ."

"I was saying how cliche it is for a Venusian to be 'fashionably' late to a ball held for them." Rei scowled, sending a warning glare in the princess' direction. "And my name is Rei, not Reiko." The Martian sent her glare back at her commander.

"I think it suits you." Serenity smiled.

"I need another drink." Mars sighed, growing more and more uncomfortable by the second with all the attention directed at her.

"Bring me one too _Reiko._ " Venus teased, her smile growing when Mars only responded with a huff, sulking over to the bar.

"You're a brave woman." Jupiter laughed at her friend's reaction to her new nickname.

"Braver than most . . ." Serenity sauntered over to the commander.

"What are you getting at Serenity?" Venus eyed the other blonde wearily.

"No one is going to ask her to dance . . ."

"No!" Venus knew where this was heading.

"Everyone else is too scared to ask a Martian to dance! You're the only one brave enough to!" Serenity stomped her foot like an impatient child.

"Serenity I -"

"Here's your drink." Mars shoved the beverage in her commander's hands, refusing to make eye contact.

"I'll take care of those." The princess smiled, grabbing both of the girl's drinks, placing them on a nearby table.

"Hey, I was going to drink that!" Mars growled.

"Pish posh! There's plenty of time for that. There's a dance floor that needs attending." Serenity smiled, grabbing both of the girl's arms, pulling them towards the floor. "Now play nice you two." Serenity stuck her tongue out at her friends, pushing them together, running off before they could further protest.

 **I have died every day**  
 **Waiting for you**  
 **Darlin' don't be afraid**  
 **I have loved you for a**  
 **Thousand years**  
 **I'll love you for a**  
 **Thousand more**

"Um . .. " Mars blushed, looking around nervously.

"We better do as she says." Venus sighed. "The princess is like a dog with a bone once she gets an idea in her head."

"Right . . ." Mars agreed, still not making a move towards the blonde. Minako sighed, stepping towards her subordinate, grabbing one of Mars' hands, placing her other on her shoulder, and pulling her close to her, a blush forming on her own face.

"You do know how to dance right?" Venus raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do! Martians aren't as savage as everyone thinks." The raven haired girl bristled a bit, putting her free hand on the small of the other girl's back.

 **And all along I believed**  
 **I would find you**  
 **Time has brought**  
 **Your heart to me**  
 **I have loved you for a**  
 **Thousand years**  
 **I'll love you for a**  
 **Thousand more**

There was a silence between the two as they started to slowly dance to the beat, neither one of the girls could meet the other's eyes.

"I'm sorry about that savage comment . . ." Venus said absently, biting her lower lip, looking off to the side.

"Oh, um, it's fine . . ." Mars looked off to the other side, her feet and body moving in time with her partners. "I'm . . . um . . ." Rei sighed, trying to form the words that seemed so impossibly hard to say. "I'm sorry too." The raven haired girl blurted out, causing the blonde to finally make eye contact with her, shocked that a Martian uttered the forbidden words of their race.

"I don't believe I've ever heard a Martian say they're sorry." A smile formed on Venus' face.

"Don't get used to it." Mars mumbled, going to walk away, beyond embaressed, but the blonde held her hand, twirling the pyro back into her.

 **One step closer**  
 **One step closer**

"Now, now Reiko, don't go running off. I wasn't making fun of you." Minako grinned, putting her hand back on the other girl's.

"Of course not. That would be so out of character for you." Mars smirked a bit, lifting her arm, sending the laughing blonde twirling out only to pull her back in.

"You are a surprisingly good dancer." Minako smiled, moving more around the ballroom with her subordinate, both growing more comfortable with the other. "Think you can dip me without dropping me?"

 **I have died every day**  
 **Waiting for you**  
 **Darlin' don't be afraid,**  
 **I have loved you for a**  
 **Thousand years**  
 **I'll love you for a**  
 **Thousand more**

Mars just rolled her eyes, dipping the other, leaning forward with her a bit so she could still hear her. "I don't think the question is can I drop you. The question is WILL I drop you?" Venus' eyes widened when she felt Mars' hold loosen and she went a little closer to the ground only to be pulled back up before she felt the cold marble touch her. Mars laughed the first real laugh she had ever heard come from her mouth.

"Haha very funny." Minako remarked sarcastically, but her smile slowly came back onto her face.

"I would never let you fall." Mars smiled, but blushed when she realized what she revealed to her commander.

 **And all along I believed**  
 **I would find you**  
 **Time has brought**  
 **Your heart to me**  
 **I have loved you for a**  
 **Thousand years**  
 **I'll love you for a**  
 **Thousand more**

Minako felt her cheeks warm at the other's confession, getting closer to her crush. "That's very sweet of you . . ." She said softly as their faces got closer, both still keeping time with the music.

"Don't tell the others. I have a reputation to uphold . . ." Mars replied absently, her gaze drifting down to the blonde's pink lips.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Minako's eyes started closing as she felt herself being drawn into the pyro.

The music started slowing down as Minako's breath caught in her throat, their lips were so close she could practically taste the other's mouth against hers. Those lips, those eyes, that body that she had been dreaming about every day and every night were so close to finally being hers.

"The princess is drunk." Ami sighed and both girls jumped away from each other, both their faces a bright shade of red.

"What? Uh, how?" Mars looked off to the side, averting the blonde's gaze.

"Well typically you ingest alcohol to achieve such an inebriated state." Ami replied sarcastically, a playful smile on her face.

"We better go check it out." Venus sighed, annoyed at the interruption.

The three girls walked over to a table to find Serenity in a chair, both their drinks that they had left were completely empty. "You guys are so cute!" The blonde squealed, standing up and hugging both Venus and Mars.

"Jeez Serenity. You smell like you drank the whole winery. How much did you drink?" Mars frowned, holding her princess at arms length, trying to stop the blush from creeping back onto her face.

"Well let's see . . . I had the drink Makoto-chan brought me, drank the two you left, and then . . ." Serenity started counting on her hand, looking up at the ceiling in thought. Mars frowned when she saw the princess starting to count onto her next hand. "Well . . . I don't know actually. I lost count." Serenity smiled drunkenly at her two guards. She went to hug them again, but stumbled. Mars acted quickly, catching the princess before she could hit the ground.

"Ok, I think you've had enough excitement for tonight." Mars draped one of the princess' arms around her shoulder, supporting her body weight. "I'll see to it she gets to her chambers safely." The raven haired girl addressed the rest of the group, but mostly maintaining eye contact with her commander.

"Do you need help?" Venus locked eyes with the Martian, secretly hoping she would say yes so she could get more alone time with her.

"No, I'll be fine. I've fought off hordes of armies, I think I can handle one drunk princess." Mars smiled at her commander. "But thanks for the offer."

"Ok, no problem." Minako chewed on her bottom lip. ' _Damn.'_

As the two walked out of the ballroom the only thing the rest of the group could hear was the princess' loud drunken voice carrying through the halls. "Rei-chan! Don't be so rough with me!"

"I'm not being rough! If you keep trying to run off I'll tell Luna!"

"Don't tell Luna!" Usagi wailed.

 _'You'll be mine soon enough Reiko. Just wait.'_ Was the last thing Venus thought as she smiled and waved goodbye to her two subordinates, heading back to her own chambers in hopes of getting some rest.

 **-End Flashback-**

Rei snapped out of her meditative state, her heart heavier than usual at the memory of her and Minako getting so close back then. "I can't . . ." She mumbled to herself, standing up and wiping away some stray tears. She took off in a run with only one destination in mind. She desperately knocked on the front door, hoping someone would be home. She let out a sigh of relief when she was greeted with confused blue eyes and blonde hair.

"We need to talk . . ."

* * *

 **AN: Well there's Chapter 5 :) Pretty pretty please review :) I love hearing you guys' feedback. Til next time. xXBooBooKittyFuckXx out!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey guys, sorry for the super late update. Life has been pretty hectic, but I somehow found the time to write this chapter. I was only able to read through it once so I apologize in advance if there are any annoying misspellings or issues with grammar. I used the song House of the Rising Sun in this one obviously, but it's the version that Lauren O'Connell did. I definitely recommend checking it out. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: House of the Rising Sun**

Minako woke with a start, the memories of her and Rei's first ball playing over and over through her head like a broken cassette, skipping forwards and backwards, pausing on the moment when their lips almost touched. "Rei . . ." She uttered softly. Her heart felt like it was confined and weighed down by bricks. Without a second thought the blonde quickly got out of bed, throwing on the first thing she found, taking off in a run the second her feet exited her house. She took the Hikawa Shrine's steps two at a time, her heart pounding in her chest. When she reached the door she desperately pounded on it with her fist and then eventually started using her open palm, slapping the divider between her and the fire senshi harder and harder with each passing second. She was shocked when she felt her hand meet flesh instead of the hard wood.

"What is all this about?" Rei's granpa rubbed his head where there was now a red imprint of Minako's hand.

"Oh my god I'm so sorry!" Minako bowed apologetically. "I just really need to talk to Rei."

"She's not here."

"Not here? Where is she?" The blonde furrowed her brow, clearly confused.

"I don't know." The old man shrugged. "She just said she needed some time and left. She's a grown woman now. I figured she would find her way home when she needed to return. She has seemed really distracted lately."

"Oh . . . well if you see her will you tell her I'm looking for her?" Minako bit her lower lip, looking off to the side.

"Of course." Rei's grandpa smiled kindly before he closed the door.

Minako turned away from the shrine, completely defeated as she slowly descended down the stairs. When she reached the bottom step she dropped down into a sitting position, head in her hands. She sat there for hours hoping to catch the raven haired girl coming home. It wasn't until the sun started to set that she slowly rose back to her feet, grabbing her phone. She scrolled down her contacts, biting her lower lip as she clicked on Rei's name to give her a call. The phone rang and rang for what seemed like an eternity. _'Hey it's Rei . . ."_ She felt her heart skip a beat when she heard Rei's voice. _'Sorry I missed your call. Leave a voicemail and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.'_ The blonde's heart dropped even lower when she realized it was just her voicemail. "Hey Rei . . . it's me. We really need to talk. Please call me back." Minako sighed as she hung up, heading home.

On her sad walk home Minako's phone started buzzing. Her palms started sweating as she pulled it from her pocket, her heart pounding in her ears only to feel the sting of disappointment once again. It was Usagi.

"Yeah?"

 _'Minako-chan! We're all going to get some shakes! You want in?'_

"I'm not really in the mood to -"

 _'Great! See ya soon!'_

Usagi hung up before Minako could even protest or find an excuse to not go. "Guess I have no choice." The blonde sighed as she changed her direction, dragging her feet all the way to their favorite spot.

"Minako-chan!" Usagi jumped up and down excitedly when she saw her friend walk through the door, looking as if someone just ran over her dog.

"Hey guys." Minako replied in a monotone voice, slinking down into her seat.

"Something wrong Mina-chan?" Ami frowned, noticing the thoughtful frown adorning the goddess of love's face.

"I just went to see Rei . . ."

"Oh? Another lover's quarrel?" Makoto smiled, nudging her friend in the ribs with her elbow.

"No. Nothing like that. She wasn't even there. Her grandpa said she left. Did she say anything to you guys?"

Makoto and Ami shook their heads no in unison, both looking just as confused as their commander. Usagi suddenly found great interest in her shake as she started chugging it down.

"Usagi-chan?" Minako raised an eyebrow, noticing the princess' strange behavior.

Usagi pretended not to hear her friend as she continued to gulp down her shake.

"You know something." Minako narrowed her eyes. "And you're running out of shake so spit it out."

"Ahhhh!" Usagi held her head in anguish.

"Usagi-chan?" The three girls jumped at attention, noticing their princess in distress.

"Brain freeze." The blonde cried.

"That's what you get for avoiding questions." Makoto smirked.

"What do you know?" Minako leaned in, interrogating the other blonde.

"I'm sworn to secrecy!" Usagi pretended to lock her mouth shut.

"I have ways of making you talk." Minako leaned in further, her eyes turning a dangerous shade of blue.

"M-Minako-chan . . . You wouldn't hurt your princess." Usagi put up her hands defensively.

"Test me." Venom dripped from Minako's every word.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh. Rei-chan left . . ."

"I know that already! Where did she go and when is she coming back?" Minako was already growing weary and frustrated.

"I-I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. She just came to me really upset and asked if it was okay if she left for a while . . . She said she needed to sort some things out and be alone." The princess started sweating.

"And you just let her go? It's her duty to stay here and protect you! What if we get attacked?"

"She said she would be here if there was any danger." Usagi looked down, avoiding eye contact with the other blonde.

"Oh? So if a youma attacks she's just going to magically appear out of nowhere? Yeah, that's bullshit." Minako sat back in her seat, crossing her arms and looking off to the side.

"Hey, I trust Rei-chan!" Usagi looked back up, glaring defiantly at the leader of her guards. "If Rei-chan says she'll be here, she'll be here. She's never let me or anyone else here down. You hurt her Minako-chan and you expect her to just be alright? I know Rei-chan comes off as tough, but she's really sensitive underneath that hard exterior. Give her a break."

Minako just let out a huff, glaring out the window, trying to hold back her tears. "Whatever. I'm out of here." The senshi of love quickly stood up.

"Minako-chan . . ." Makoto started.

"What? Rei can leave whenever she wants, but I can't. Maybe I need to be alone too." Minako bit out, storming out of the place, slamming the door behind her.

"Well that went well . . ." Ami sighed. They all seemed to be falling apart and none of them knew how to put the pieces back together.

As Minako stormed out of their favorite spot she pulled out her phone, calling Rei again. This time it went straight to voicemail. "Rei, I get it. You're angry. You can't just leave like this. Please come back so we can talk." The blonde let out a sad sigh, putting her phone away, and heading home. When the blonde got home she plopped down on her bed, Usagi's words playing over and over again in her head as she slowly drifted off into an uneasy sleep. _"If Rei-chan says she'll be here, she'll be here. She's never let me or anyone else here down."_

 **-Flashback-**

Venus strolled around the palace late at night on patrol, barely paying attention to much of anything as she looked up at the stars, thinking of their newest member. She let out a dreamy sigh as she leaned against a nearby wall, thinking back on the ball and the kiss that had almost occurred the week before. "Oh Rei . . ."

She pushed off of the wall to resume her patrol when she was grabbed by her throat and slammed against that same wall. Her eyes widened when she saw what seemed to be a demon darker than the night and eyes redder than hell raising her up off the ground slowly with one claw, it's grip tightening on her throat. She grabbed the beast's wrist, kicking frantically, desperately trying to get it to loosen it's hold. Her face was turning red and her vision was starting to go black when she saw four more demons sprout from the shadows. The monster growled lowly in her face, showing it's dominance over this weaker life form, and Venus was sure the last thing she would ever see was that demon's face as she closed her eyes, giving up the fight, starting to lose consciousness.

Venus' eyes snapped open when she heard a shrill shriek rise from one of the monster's mouths. She had just enough strength to look to the side and see the blurry form of Mars running in her direction with a spear in hand. Two of the four demons went to block her path, but they couldn't stop the enraged Martian as she stabbed the first one in the chest with her spear, pulling it back quickly and stabbing the second one in the stomach before she narrowed her eyes in Venus' direction. The commander was losing consciousness and running out of precious air as the monster gripped her throat even tighter. Mars let out a soft breath as she cocked her arm back and threw the spear the twenty yards between her and Venus. A satisfied smirk formed on her face when the spear found it's mark and went right through the demon's temple, causing Venus to go crashing to her knees as it's lifeless body fell over.

Mars was about to go running to her when she felt one of the demons she injured before grab her leg from the ground. It lifted it's claw to slash her, but Mars was quicker and grabbed one of her swords at her side, slicing it's throat as she unsheathed her weapon before it could make contact. Mars used her instincts, jumping to the side, barely avoiding another furious claw as the other monster that was crippled on the ground went to lunge at her. She pushed her sword through the back of it's throat, pushing it out through the front before she pulled it back and went to aid the blonde who was now standing on her own two feet, barely dodging the two demons attacking her.

"Minako!" Mars yelled, gaining the other girl's attention. Rei quickly tossed her spare sword to the Venusian, which she gratefully caught, turning just in time to dodge another attack brought on by one of the monsters, slicing off one of it's arms as she turned. She ducked when the other monster furiously swung it's arm, aiming to cut her pretty face with those ragged nails. As Minako dropped to one knee it felt as if everything was going in slow motion, she could see the arm still lost in it's momentum continue it's swing as she lunged forward with her sword, stabbing it in the stomach and pushing it out of it's back. The demon let out a cry of pain and went to attack her again, but she twisted her blade causing the beast the stumble. When she pulled it out of it's stomach she brought her arm back up, swinging and beheading the terrible beast.

As the monster's head rolled down to the ground and it's lifeless body dropped to it's knees she saw Rei standing ten yards away smiling at her as if she was proud of the blonde. Venus blushed, shyly returning the raven haired girls smile, but had little time to celebrate or talk when she saw another beast form behind Mars. Before she could warn her the monster whose arm she cut off arose in front of her looking for vengeance as it swung it's only arm at her. The blonde quickly jumped back and swung her sword, cutting it's belly from right to left, it's insides spilling out as she continued her motion and threw her sword with a back hand towards Rei. Rei was quick to dodge the blade that went slicing towards her, confusion written all over her face, before she heard a shrill scream behind her and the blade embedded itself in the monster's chest, sending it flying onto it's back. Rei stood over the monster, placing her foot on it's chest, pulling the sword free. "What the fuck are you?" She hissed.

The demon only laughed, coughing on the black bile coming up in it's throat. "He'll find you."

Mars felt rage fill her veins at the monster's laughter, not even registering what it said to her as she stabbed the sword right into it's mouth, killing all the laughter it once held.

"Mars . . ." Venus let out a relieved sigh, limping over to the other girl. "Are you alri-" A big arm swung, sending Minako flying back into a wall, her head hitting the stone hard, slowly sliding down to sit as her vision went blurry. She could feel hot, sticky liquid dripping down from the back of her head to her back.

"Venus!" Mars yelled out, starting to run towards the blonde, but was grabbed by her throat by a huge claw. She darted her eyes from Venus to the giant monster who had a strong grip on her, raising her up into the air like she was nothing. The Martian's eyes widened as she made eye contact with those dark red eyes, this beast was at least four times bigger than the other monsters. It let out a loud battle cry in the Martian's face, holding her up to it's eye level and grew more furious when Mars yelled back in response, punching it in the head over and over again to no avail. The demon lifted Mars up higher before it slammed her into the ground. Blood shot out of Rei's mouth as she let out a surprised gasp, feeling some ribs and bones in her back break when she made contact with the hard ground.

"Focus . . ." Minako said softly, just barely loud enough for Rei to hear.

Mars closed her eyes, trying to forget the claw wrapped around her throat, the looming figure standing over her, and her broken bones as she held out her hand. When she opened her eyes and saw a small flaming dagger in her palm she took her opening and quickly stabbed the beast in the foot. The monster let out a deep loud yell, temporarily releasing the Martian from it's deadly grasp. Rei hastily rolled out of the way, barely avoiding the furious fist that came crashing down to crack open her skull on the pavement. She rolled to the other side when it continued it's relentless attack, desperately trying to find a way out of this. She was severely over powered and both her and the commander were seriously injured. Another fist came crashing down and this time she wasn't quick enough to avoid it. Mars closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable, but opened them when she felt nothing.

While the beast was distracted Venus pulled herself back up and wrapped her love me chain around it's wrist before it could crush the Martian's pretty face she so enjoyed staring at. It whipped it's head around, letting out an annoyed yell as it pulled on the golden chain while Rei scrambled to her feet.

"I can't hold him." Venus gritted her teeth, her chain disappearing, giving the monster it's arm back. Mars jumped back as it furiously swung it's arm at her again, but wasn't fast enough to avoid it's long claws, leaving three long slash marks in her side. Mars stumbled back, holding her side as blood poured out from the wound and the monster looked at her with an evil smile, licking the blood from it's claws.

"Chain me!" Rei glared at the beast, addressing Minako.

"What!? No! That's suicide!" Venus yelled out.

"Trust me!" Rei looked at the blonde pleadingly, holding up her arm, and keeping her distance from the giant.

Venus just sighed and nodded her head, sending her love me chain flying at the raven haired girl, holding on to one end while the other wrapped around her comrade's wrist. "Aim high!" Rei yelled out as she went running at the beast, Minako following suit as they both jumped in unison, getting the chain up to the monster's throat. Venus went left and Mars went right, starting to wrap the chain around the giant's neck. When they intersected Venus jumped into the air while Rei rolled underneath her, both continuing their movement until they were both on opposite sides of each other with the beast stuck in the middle. It went to go after Mars, but Venus stayed steady, pulling it back to the middle. "Pull hard!" Mars yelled. The blonde did as she was told, both of them pulling as hard as they could while the giant let out a yell. After a minute of pulling and struggling the monster's head went flying off. Rei let go of the love me chain and both girls fell to their knees breathing heavily.

"We did it . . ." Minako let out a sigh of relief, flinching when she felt a sharp pain in her head. She touched her fingers gingerly to the back of her skull, but flinched away when she felt the pain grow. She looked at her fingers to find blood and when she looked at Rei she saw her laying in a heap on the ground. "Rei!?"

"What's going on here?" Came Makoto's concerned voice as she went running up to her comrades.

"Check . . . the princess . . ." Rei said softly, losing more and more blood by the second.

"But Rei-"

"Just do it! She could be in danger!" Mars' eyes flickered dangerously and that was enough to send Jupiter running to their princess' room only to find her sound asleep.

"She's fine." Makoto came running back. "I'm getting Ami. You guys need serious medical attention."

Rei just slowly nodded, her eyes starting to close.

"Hey, Rei-chan. We have to try to stay up." Minako crawled over to the raven haired girl causing the Martian's eyes to flicker open. "We just need to hang on a little longer . . ." Minako felt herself getting tired as well, but knew with the state she was in falling asleep could mean death.

"Just a little longer . . ." Rei mimicked, her breathing growing more shallow.

"Oh my god." Ami came running up to the girls, guards in tow with makeshift stretchers. "Get them to the medical facility immediately."

As the girls were being put onto the stretchers and brought to the medical ward a small smile graced Minako's lips, looking over at the barely conscious Rei.

"You've never said my name before . . ." Was the last thing Rei heard Minako whisper before she passed out.

 **-End Flashback-**

Rei frowned as she saw another missed call and voicemail from the damned Venusian that plagued her thoughts. She didn't even bother to listen to the voicemail as she rolled out of bed, turning off her phone to prevent further disruption during her little vacation. She dragged herself to the bathroom to take a shower and put on some fresh clothes, heading down to a convenient store to get herself an energy drink and some snacks.

While Rei was casually walking through the isles deciding on what to snack on she saw a flash of pink hair. She turned just in time to see long legs and flowing pink hair that went down to a girl's waist exit before she could further evaluate her. Rei shrugged it off as she quickly grabbed the supplies she needed and headed to the register. Once her items were paid for she decided a nice stroll along the boardwalk would do her some good. Sure fire was her element, but she loved the ocean. Something about the sound of the crashing waves meeting the shore soothed her. Rei smiled to herself as she went from the boardwalk and onto the beach, settling herself on the sand to enjoy her little meal. She watched the waves crash into the shore and then wash back out for what seemed like hours when she saw that flash of pink again. She turned her head and saw the same girl from the convenience store casually strolling away from the beach and onto the boardwalk. Rei felt herself stand, following the girl on instinct. It was as if her body was moving of it's own accord and she had no control. She had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. All she knew was that she needed to follow that girl.

Rei kept a safe distance, following the girl as if she was in a trance. The pink haired girl didn't seem to notice as she rounded a corner and kept walking as if she didn't have a care in the world. The fire senshi felt her heart pounding in her chest, palms getting sweaty as she saw the girl enter what seemed to be a bar. _'Curiosity killed the cat.'_ Rei chided herself for stalking the girl, turning to walk away, but stopped in her tracks. It was as if something was pulling her towards the bar, gravitating her closer to that mysterious girl. _'Fuck it.'_ Rei couldn't fight gravity anymore, quickly walking into the bar before she could change her mind.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing here?" Came a deep voice to her side. Rei looked over to see a very big, very annoyed looking man polishing a glass. He placed the glass down onto the counter, stepping out from behind the bar. "I said what are you doing here? We're closed." Rei struggled to find an excuse as to why she walked into the empty bar, sweat starting to form on her brow. She could hold her own in a fight, but this guy was big and was looming over her, looking like he was about to grab her by her shirt and throw her out on her ass.

"It's fine. She's with me." Came a voice as smooth as silk and as dark as a summer night.

Rei looked over to her right and saw that same pink haired girl looking back at her with a small smirk on her face. Rei didn't have a chance to get a good look at her and now that she did she was in awe. To say this girl was gorgeous was an understatement. Her skin was pale, but radiated like the moon. Her legs were never ending, her body was tight and definitely toned, and her eyes were pink like her hair except they were a shade darker. Looking into her eyes was like looking into the abyss. _'If you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.'_ That quote kept running through Rei's mind as she looked into those eyes, falling deeper and deeper into her trance.

"Sorry, didn't know." The big bartender grumbled, breaking Rei from her trance.

"Take a seat." The mysterious girl flashed a charming smile at the raven haired girl as she pulled out a chair. Rei didn't say anything, she just obediently sat down like a well trained dog.

"Enjoy the show." The pink haired girl winked at her, stepping up to the dimly lit stage, talking to what looked like a couple of band members.

"This one's on the house. Sorry for the misunderstanding. Didn't know you were with her." The bartender placed a martini in front of the still confused fire senshi, sulking off to continue cleaning the glasses. Before Rei could question the man about who this girl was she heard a slow drum beat start up and her attention was pulled to the stage. The pink haired girl slowly walked up to the 30's looking mic, gripping it as she opened her mouth to sing.

 **There is a house in New Orleans  
They call the rising sun  
It's been the ruin of many a poor girl  
And god, I know I'm one**

Rei felt herself leaning forward, the girl's dark haunting voice was pulling her in, and her penetrating eyes were locked onto the fire senshi like a target.

 **My mother was a tailor  
She sowed my new blue jeans  
My sweetheart he was a gamblin' lord  
Down in New Orleans**

Rei's mouth went dry as the mysterious girl started moving her hips from side to side to the beat, running her hand up her leg, punctuating the lyrics to the song, and drawing the raven haired girl's attention once again to those legs and perfectly shaped hips.

 **Oh mother tell my baby sister  
** **Not to do what I have done  
** **But shun that house in New Orleans  
** **They call the rising sun**

Rei's eyes slowly traveled up the girl's body, past her tight stomach, past her generously sized breasts, and back to those dark eyes. Those dark eyes that never left her even for a second. Those eyes that sent shivers down her spine and caused her hands to shake. There was something dangerously enticing about her.

 **It's one foot on the platform  
** **The other is on the train  
I'm going back to New Orleans  
To wear that ball and chain**

As the girl was starting her last verse she grabbed her mic from it's stand, slowly stepping down the stairs, taking her time to make her way towards Rei like a jungle cat on the prowl. It was obvious that Rei was her prey, she was defenseless, trapped in a corner that she wasn't sure she wanted to escape from. The girl kept eye contact as she neared Rei's table, setting her mic down as the music came to a close. Rei's hands grew sweatier as the girl leaned in, pressing her soft pink lips to the fire senshi's in a slow sensual kiss. She pulled back after a couple of seconds, releasing Rei's upper lip from between hers. The raven haired girl slowly opened her eyes to find the mysterious girl sitting on the edge of her table, grabbing her martini. She placed the glass to her lips, tipping her head back, and downing the entire drink in one gulp before she casually placed it back down in front of the bewitched miko. Rei opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find any words as the pink haired girl placed a slip of paper in her hand and walked away to the bar as if nothing had happened.

Rei dumbly looked at the girl as she lounged at the bar before she looked back to her hand. She opened the slip of paper to see a number and only a first name written on it. _'Lucy.'_

* * *

 **AN: Well there it is folks. Sorry again for the delay. Please review and let me know what you think :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews and to answer previous questions pertaining to my last chapter Lucy is in fact the Lucy from Elfen Lied. It's one of my favorite animes :) And if you think Lucy is going to be the main obstacle Rei and Minako have to overcome you're gonna get slapped in the face with a surprise later on if you decide to stick around to see how this tale ends :) Anyways, here's the new chapter. I don't care for Justin Beiber, but I like the song "Where are U now". Hope you enjoy :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Where are you now**

Venus heard a faint steady beeping in the background as she slowly came to. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open, squinting her eyes to adjust to the brightness. "How long was I out?" She asked herself as she sat up, noting the dull throbbing in the back of her head.

"Lay back down." Mercury rushed over to her commander, gently pushing her shoulder back down. "You suffered some serious injuries and to answer your question you've been out for a couple days."

"A couple days? Where's Rei?" Minako strained her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the Martian.

"She's still out." Ami sighed.

"Is she going to be ok? Where is she?" The blonde shot back up in her bed, frantically looking around.

"She's behind this curtain. You sustained some serious injuries, but Rei got the grunt of it. She has some broken ribs, a concussion, severe bruising, and some deep cuts on her side. She was in critical condition and we almost lost her, but I think she's going to be okay now. She just needs some rest." Venus let out a sigh of relief as she laid back down, her heart beating a little easier in her chest. "What exactly happened commander? Who did this to you guys?" Ami frowned, sitting on the side of the blonde's bed.

"I-I don't know. It all happened so fast." Minako furrowed her brow, searching for answers. "And I don't think the question is who, but WHAT attacked us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whatever attacked us wasn't . . . human. They came from the darkness . . . their skin was black and their eyes were red. They didn't use any swords or spears. Instead they had these long claws and were stronger than any person I've ever fought. There was one that was five times our size and it lifted Rei up with one hand like she was nothing. I've never seen anything like it . . ." Venus felt the familiar cold grasp of fear taking hold of her just retelling the story.

"Monsters attacked you?" Ami raised an eyebrow. "Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought." The blunette grabbed the flashlight from her pocket and opened one of Minako's eyes, shining the light in.

"Stop." Venus pushed her comrade's hand aside. "I'm not crazy. It's true. Just ask Rei when she wakes up. She'll say the same thing."

Ami sighed as she turned off her small flashlight, putting it away as she stood up. "I'm going to need to report back to the queen. If there really are monsters attacking the moon kingdom we're going to need to come up with a plan of action." Minako nodded her head in agreement as Ami headed out of the room, stopping at the door before she left. "Try to get some rest Minako."

"I'll try." Minako smiled lightly as she watched her friend leave. The second the door was closed she slowly sat back up, carefully getting out of bed, and heading over to the curtain next to her. The blonde slowly opened the curtain to see the broken image of the strong Martian she knew. There was a dark purple bruise on her neck and her breathing looked slightly labored. "Oh Rei . . ." A deep frowned adorned the goddess of love's face as she made her way over to her crush, settling herself next to the raven haired girl.

Venus laid down next to the Martian, gently moving a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You saved my life . . ." She slowly ran her hand down from the side of Rei's forehead to her high cheek bone only to have her hand stopped by the Martian's. The blonde's heart started beating faster as the still passed out girl held her hand next to her face in her deep sleep.

"Minako . . ." The raven let out a soft sigh, her breathing becoming easier, and seeming to fall into a must more peaceful slumber.

"I'm here Rei . . . I'm not going anywhere." The blonde smiled softly as she leaned down, kissing the Martian's forehead softly letting her lips linger for a couple moments, relishing in the feeling of the Martian's skin under her lips before settling down next to her, carefully pulling her hand out of her comrade's to wrap her arm around her waist. "I'll find a way to repay you one day." Venus laid her head on Rei's shoulder, closing her eyes, and finally taking Ami's advice to 'get some rest'.

 **-End Flashback-**

Minako awoke in her bed only to see it was night time. She had taken to sleeping most of the day and staying up all night. It had been two weeks since Rei left and the loss weighed heavy on her. _'Another stupid flashback of her. I don't know how much more of this I can take. She obviously doesn't care about me anymore. Any chance I had with her is gone. She's made that apparent by blatantly ignoring me.'_

The blonde sat up, stretching her arms, looking around her room, deciding what she would get into tonight. _'I can stay in watching tv, waiting for a reply from that stupid jerk or . . . I can go take my mind off of things.'_ The blonde smiled, getting out of bed, deciding on the latter. "The time for sulking is over. I guess the past doesn't need to repeat itself."

An hour later Minako found herself at the bar, music blaring, and lights flashing as she grabbed a drink. "Make it strong." Minako yelled over to the bartender as a tall, blonde man squeezed in next to her.

"Make that two." The bartender nodded as the stranger put down the money for the drinks. "It's on me." He smiled and winked at the blonde.

"Thanks." The Venusian smiled back, grabbing her drink.

"Jake."

 **I gave you the key when the door wasn't open, just admit it**  
 **See I gave you faith turned your doubt in to hoping, can't deny it**  
 **Now I'm all alone and my joys turned to moping**  
 **Tell me here, where are you now that I need you?**  
 **Where are you now?**  
 **Where are you now that I need ya?** **  
** **Couldn't find you anywhere**  
 **When you broke down I didn't leave ya**  
 **I was by your side**  
 **So where are you now that I need ya?**  
 **Where are you now that I need ya?**

"What?" Minako asked, barely able to hear him over the music and barely paying attention anyway. She could have sworn she saw a flash of dark hair go through the crowd of people. _'Rei?'_ The blonde stood up on her tiptoes, looking left and right for any sign of her crush.

"My name is Jake." He smiled, stepping in front of the Venusian, blocking her view.

"Oh. I'm Minako." She smiled her fake smile at him as she tried to discreetly look over his shoulder into the crowd of people, searching for the girl that had been plaguing her thoughts for the past two weeks.

"Are you looking for someone?" He raised an eyebrow, taking a slow drink from his glass.

"Looking for someone? Nope. Just checking out the dance floor." Minako brought her attention back to the man in front of her, trying to hide her disappointment.

"In that case would you like to dance?" Jake held out his hand.

"Sure." Minako chugged down the rest of her drink, setting the empty glass on the bar before taking his hand.

 **Where are you now that I need ya?**  
 **Where are you now that I need ya?**  
 **Where are you now that I need ya?**

The two blondes started to dance to the beat, the alcohol pumping through their systems, doing it's job to enhance the night. Minako did her best to forget the Martian, focusing on the attractive man in front of her who was definitely in shape, well kept, and charming. She told herself he would make her happy and make her forget, even if it was just for a night.

 **I gave you attention when nobody else was payin'**  
 **I gave you the shirt off my back what you sayin'**  
 **To keep you warm**  
 **I showed you the game everybody else was playin', that's for sure**  
 **And I was on my knees when nobody else was prayin', oh lord  
**

 **Where are you now that I need ya?**  
 **Where are you now that I need ya?**  
 **Where are you now that I need ya?**  
 **I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you**  
 **I need you, I need you, I need you, I need you**  
 **I need you the most**

As the beat slowed down, he pulled her into him, slowing down their pace. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder, reprimanding herself when she thought of herself lying next to Rei with her head on the Martian's shoulder and how at home she felt with the other girl. _'You need to let it go . . .'_ Minako closed her eyes, trying to erase the image of the two of them in the medical wing. When she opened them she saw Rei's face from a distance looking at her with an unreadable expression in her eyes. "Rei . . ." She said softly, heading towards where she saw her crush, but was stopped by Jake grabbing her hand as the beat picked back up. Minako reluctantly started dancing again, looking over her shoulder and every which direction to see if she could find the elusive Martian. _'That's it. I'm losing it.'_ Minako sighed, giving up the chase and dancing with her new found partner.

The song was abruptly stopped as screams erupted from the crowd of people dancing. People were running in every which direction and Minako couldn't figure out why. "What the hell is going on?" The Venusian scanned the area, looking for the source of everyone's panic.

"I don't know, but I think we should get out of here . . ." Jake was looking nervous as the panic started to set into him.

Minako was about to reply when she saw the source of terror. The was a youma attacking people in the crowd, taking down a young male, and biting his neck as it feasted on his flesh. The blonde turned to tell her partner to run, but found he already took the liberty of doing so. _'How brave.'_ Minako rolled her eyes, running into the bathroom, and transforming at light speed before she pulled out her communicator.

"What's going on?" Makoto's face was the first to pop up on the screen.

"There's a youma attacking people at the club."

"Where?" Ami's face popped up on the screen as well.

"I'm sending you the co-ordinates now. Hurry!" Minako typed in the co-ordinates on the pad before snapping the communicator closed and running out onto the dance floor.

"Hey!" The blonde yelled bravely at the monster that was still crouched over that poor random victim. Black drool dripped from it's mouth as it slowly looked up, it's mouth watering at the prospect of new prey. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size!?"

A creepy smile formed on it's face as it slowly stood up, approaching her. Minako stood her ground, ignoring the pounding of her heart in her chest as the horrible demon drew closer. She had definitely gained it's attention.

When she decided the youma was close enough she went running straight at it. The monster leaped into the air, ready to pounce on the Venusian, but the blonde was one step ahead, sliding beneath the black creature and standing back up, sprinting as fast as she could while the demon was off balance and behind her. She burst out the back door into an alley, looking both directions before she decided on running away from the main street, trying to keep as many civilians as safe as possible. She jumped behind a couple of trash cans just in time to hide before the monster came barreling out after her. It let out an annoyed shriek, looking around only to have the blonde wrap her love me chain around it's neck. "Got you fucker."

Minako's brows furrowed in confusion as the monster just smiled and grabbed the chain. Before she could let the chain go it whipped the chain to the side, sending her flying into a nearby brick wall. The city was spinning around her as she slowly stood back up. She opened her eyes, expecting the demon to be in front of her, feasting on her flesh only to see it retreating to the city streets. The youma was out for blood and wanted to get as much of it as it could. "Shit." Minako cursed herself as she went running after it. When she rounded the corner she cursed herself again as the monster jumped on top of a moving vehicle, clawing at the person in the car. The civilian swerved left and right, trying to get the beast off of the car.

"Where is it!?" Makoto and Ami went running up to their commander when they saw her standing on the street, looking a little worse for wear.

"Over there. We have to stop that car or else this is going to get even messier than it already is." Minako pointed out the car and the girls took off running, cutting corners to catch up to the vehicle under attack. When they finally caught up to it Minako tried grabbing the beast with her love me chain, missing it's foot by an inch when the car swerved out of the way. "Ugh! Where the fuck is Rei!? Didn't Usagi say she'd be here if we needed her!? We're not going to catch that thing at this rate. We need-" Before Minako could finish a figure jumped from the balcony the street up, landing on the hood of car.

The car swerved left, surprised at the new intruder. Rei held on with her fingertips to the hood of the car, facing the driver. "Don't. Fucking. Crash!" The Martian yelled, trying to climb her way up to the roof. Her heart dropped when a small smile formed on the driver's face and she saw a tint of red in their eyes. "Fuck . . ." She mumbled to herself before the possessed driver swerved right, bumping the car next to them in an attempt to shake the Martian off of the hood. One of Rei's hands left the safety of the hood and only one hand kept her attached, barely hanging on as the car swerved in the opposite direction.

"Shit!" Minako cursed when she saw the girl she had been dreaming about for weeks almost get thrown off the car. "We have to do something." The blonde ran up to a nearby car, pulling open the driver's door. "I'm sorry, but I need to commandeer your vehicle." She flashed her famous Venusian smile as she pulled out the confused pedestrian. Before they could protest Minako peeled out, speeding off in the direction of the distressed Martian. _'I'm coming Rei. Just hold on . . .'_

Rei swung her right arm back up to cling to the hood, letting go with her other hand as she moved to the side to avoid the demon swiping at her from the roof. _'I definitely didn't think this one through.'_ Rei ducked her head, shielding herself as best as she could from flying car parts as the demon let out a blast, causing a nearby car to explode. She tried again to pull herself up to the roof only for the driver to laugh and swerve again before she could do much of anything.

"Rei!" Minako yelled from her stolen car, pulling up next to the demon's.

Rei stole a glance to the side, making eye contact with those deep blue eyes so full of concern. The driver took note of the new opposition, slamming their car into the blonde's. Minako was pushed off the road for a second, but came speeding right back next to them. "Stop the car!" The Venusian yelled with authority. The driver just laughed and replied "Careful what you wish for blondie."

The Martian opened her mouth to talk, but went flying off the hood of the car into some bushes when the demon driver slammed on the brakes. "Rei!" Minako cried out, hitting the brakes of her car. The blonde crawled out the passenger side of the car as the demon charged up another blast. She went running out into the street when it let it go and destroyed the car she had occupied moments before, the blast sending her flying onto her stomach. She covered her head as remnants of the car landed around her, watching as the demon and his accomplice sped off. "Rei . . ." She said softly, tears forming in her eyes as she looked over the bushes the miko had been thrown into. Images of the Martian's broken body in the medical wing flashed before her eyes. "Fuck!" The blonde punched the ground with her fist, looking down in despair.

"I'm okay!" Minako's head shot back up when she saw Rei jumping up behind the high bushes waving her hand to gain her attention before she stepped out, wiping herself off. The Venusian stood up, running to her crush, hugging her tightly before she could push her away.

"I thought I had lost you." Minako buried her head in the other girl's shoulder, unable to hold back her tears.

"Hey, I'm okay." Rei blushed, gently pushing the blonde back, holding her at arms length. "See?" She smiled.

Minako smiled in return, wiping away her tears.

"Now, are we going to get that bastard or what?" Rei grinned and Minako laughed a little nodding her head.

They ran to another car, pulling out a shocked civilian. "I promise we'll try to return it." Minako flashed her smile, jumping into the drivers seat as Rei pulled herself in through the passenger window, sitting in the window with one leg in the car, the other hanging out. The Martian hit the roof twice signaling to the blonde she was ready. Minako smiled, peeling out and going after the demon like a bat out of hell.

As they got closer Rei closed her eyes, her fire bow forming in her hand. She opened her eyes, carefully aiming her bow at the demon. "Payback's a bitch." The miko smiled, letting a fire arrow go, her grin growing bigger when it found it's mark in the demon's shoulder, sending it flying off of the vehicle.

The monster looked back at the pair, letting out a shriek before it got up, taking off in a run towards the woods. Before it could get more than ten feet away a fist came out of nowhere, punching it in the face, sending it stumbling backwards. "You forgot about us. I'm hurt." Makoto mocked an expression of pain before laughing as Ami threw a punch, sending the monster stumbling into another direction only to be met with the fist of a very pissed off Martian, sending it flying onto it's back.

"You fucked with the wrong people." Rei hissed, standing over the youma.

The raven haired girl took a step back as Minako gently touched her shoulder, walking past her to the demon. It let out one last yell as Minako lifted her leg up high into the air, sending her heel crashing down so hard onto the demon's face that its skull caved in, its brains spilling out onto the street.

"Remind me not to fuck with you." Makoto laughed, playfully pushing her commander.

"Damn that felt good." Rei grinned, stretching out her arms. "I missed that."

"That thing would have gotten away if it wasn't for you." Minako smiled over at the raven haired girl. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too." Rei blushed, looking away from those piercing blue eyes. She looked around and noticed there was a face missing from the group. "Where's dumpling head?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, where is Usagi?" Minako looked to her other two comrades for answers.

"She never responded to our call." Makoto shrugged. "She's probably drooling all over Luna while she sleeps."

"That irresponsible-"

"I'm here guys! I made it! Where's the youma!?" Usagi came running up to the group.

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Makoto sighed.

"Whoa what happened to him?" Usagi made a disgusted face as she took a step back from the mess that used to be the demon.

"I caved his skull in and guess who's next . . ." Minako grinned, stepping towards the princess.

"No! I'm too young and pretty to die!" Usagi cried.

"Pretty is a strong word to use." Rei rolled her eyes.

"What was that Rei-chan!?" Usagi started stalking towards her guard before realization sunk in. "Rei-chan! You're back!" Rei's face dropped and went to run away, but was too slow as the princess tackled her into a hug. "Don't ever leave again! We missed you!"

"Get off me!" The miko protested.

"Never!" Usagi smiled, ignoring the cries of her guard. The group laughed at the display, happy to be back together again.

* * *

 **AN: Reunited and it feels so goooood :) Well hope you guys liked the new chapter. Pretty please review and tell me your thoughts. I love to hear from you guys :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I feel horrendous for taking so long to update. Every time I started to write this chapter something came up. I thought October was supposed to be my chill month, but it seems life had other plans in store for me. Anyways, I apologize to everyone reading for taking so long and I hope you like this chapter. The song I used in this one is Monsters by Ruelle. I highly suggest looking it up. The band isn't well known yet :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Monsters**

"Come on, you can do better than that." Makoto laughed as Rei threw another punch aimed for her friends face, only for her to dodge again. "I think your little vacation made you slow." Rei glared at the Jovian, taking a step back as the girls sparred at the abandoned field they had grown so fond of. Makoto saw her opening and threw a hard right hook at the raven haired girl. Rei stepped to the left, grabbing her friend's fist, twisting her body, and using all of her strength to throw the taller girl over her shoulder. Makoto's back hit the grass with a soft thud and she was left staring up at the sky in bewilderment as the smirking Martian stood over her.

"You were saying?" Rei grinned, holding out her hand to help Makoto up.

"You proved your point. You're still the best." Makoto grumbled, grabbing her friends hand, getting pulled up to her feet. "I'll get you one day." The Jovian smiled.

"I'm afraid you might die waiting for that day." Rei added in cheekily. "Who's next?" The Martian looked over to see Ami typing away on her computer and Minako talking adamantly with Usagi.

"I think Usagi is next." Makoto grinned, pulling the blonde away from Minako, pushing her towards Rei.

"You ready to get your ass kicked dumpling head?" Rei grinned, getting in her fighting stance.

"No, no, no!" Usagi covered her head protectively, cowering away. "Sparring is your guys' thing. I'm royalty!"

"We're all royalty." Rei deadpanned, dropping her fist to her side.

"But I'm more important." The princess stuck her tongue out at her guard.

"To who?" The Martian raised an eyebrow.

"TO EVERYONE!" Usagi stalked towards Rei, jabbing her in the chest with her finger.

"Oh no! Don't poke me! Anything but that!" Rei feigned pain, dropping to her knees in defeat. "I've finally been defeated by the great and powerful moon princess!"

"Damn right!" Usagi shoved her laughing guard onto her back before she retreated back to the group, settling herself next to Ami and Makoto.

"I'll take a go at you." Rei stopped laughing as she sat up, her dark eyes traveling up those long tan legs, past a slim waist, up to Minako's piercing blue eyes. The blonde smiled confidently before leaning in, whispering softly into the Martian's ear. "Stop staring." She pulled away and put her index finger on the Martian's forehead, pushing her back down onto her back.

"I wasn't." Rei stood up defiantly, crossing her arms in a huff. She was angry more with herself than at her captain, she knew she was staring. In those two weeks she had almost forgotten how breathtaking and beautiful her friend really is. Almost.

"Whatever you say _Reiko._ " The Venusian smiled, egging the other girl on.

"I hate it when you call me that." Rei glared at the blonde. _'I hate that I love it.'_

"Are we going to spar or not _Reiko._ " Minako got into her fighting stance, feeling a hint of satisfaction when she saw a blush adorn Rei's face.

Without a word Rei sent a right hook aimed for her captain's jaw, but the blonde was quick, crouching to avoid the blow. When she stood back up she moved her body to the right as the raven haired girl jabbed, aiming for her nose. With the Martian off balance Minako grabbed her arm that was still in motion, keeping her in place as she kneed her in the ribs a good couple of times. Rei was able to free her arm, swiftly jumping back to avoid further damage to her ribs.

"Makoto was right. You're slower than usual." Minako smiled, keeping her fists up and ready for whatever the other girl threw at her.

"I'm still faster than you." Rei glared at the blonde, her Martian pride sent rage coursing through her veins at the constant insults she was receiving.

"Could have fooled me." Minako scoffed.

Before the blonde could continue taunting her crush Rei came running at her faster than she expected, tackling her to the ground. Rei sat up on top of Minako, lifting her fist to punch that smug smirk off of her commander's face, but faltered when those blue eyes darkened. Minako was looking up at her behind heavily lidded eyes, biting her lower lip, obviously enjoying the rough treatment instead of being afraid like Rei had hoped. That moment of hesitation was all Minako needed to flip Rei onto her back, straddling the very surprised and off guard Martian. Minako was quick to pin the raven haired girl's wrists to the ground, leaning forward to whisper into her ear. "Looks like I have you right where I want you _Reiko._ "

Rei couldn't stop the shiver that ran down her spine as the Venusian's warm breath teased her ear and the scent of strawberries and vanilla invaded her senses. Her head became foggy, the feeling of the blonde pressed so tightly against her was making her lose all of her senses. Minako smiled wickedly to herself, listening to the raged breath of the girl beneath her. Rei was about to lose it and give in until she heard a cough from Makoto.

"Do you guys need us to leave?" The Jovian raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"No." Rei snapped out of her daze, quickly standing up and sending Minako flying onto the grass. "She won . . ." Rei looked off to the side away from those hurt blue eyes boring a hole into the side of her head, a deep frown adorning her face.

"If you can call that winning." Minako stood up, wiping herself off.

"Call it whatever you want." Usagi waved off their comments. "I'm hungry, let's go get some food and shakes."

"You didn't even do anything." Rei glared at the princess.

"I watched! It was exhausting!" Usagi whined while the rest of the group shook their head in disapproval, heading over to their favorite spot.

While everyone sat and chatted both Rei and Minako were uncharacteristically quiet, occasionally stealing a glance at one another when they felt brave. Minako bit her lower lip, desperately trying to think of something to say to the Martian.

"So uh, Rei . . ." Minako cleared her throat nervously.

"Yeah?" The miko gulped her drink uneasily.

"How was your trip?" Minako looked down at her plate, shifting her food around.

"Yeah Rei. How was your trip and where did you go anyway?" Usagi butted in, being the nosey girl they knew her to be.

"It was um . . ."

"Hey babe! Fancy seeing you here!" The five girls snapped their attention to the pink haired girl approaching their table. Lucy strode confidently over to the Martian, plopping down next to her and planting a big kiss on her cheek.

"Babe?" Minako looked perplexed, shifting her eyes back and forth from Rei to the girl that was all over HER Reiko.

"Are you stalking me?" A playful smile broke out on Rei's face, looking over at Lucy, giving her her full attention.

"I'm not stalking you!" The pink haired girl put her hands up defensively before a devious smile formed on her face, leaning into Rei. "But I didn't say I wasn't a wolf." Lucy leaned in to capture Rei's soft lips with her own.

"Care to introduce us?" Makoto interrupted the moment while Minako tried desperately to hide the fact that she was seething on the inside, her blood practically boiling beneath her skin as Rei and Lucy got lost in each other.

"Oh uh . . . sorry." Rei's cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Lucy this is Usagi, Ami, Makoto, and Minako. Guys this is Lucy . . . my uh . . . girlfriend . . ." The raven haired girl shifted her eyes down to the table, avoiding a certain pair of bright blue orbs boring a hole into her skull.

"Girlfriend!? Why are we hearing about this now!? Why didn't you tell us!?" Usagi slammed her hands on the table, dramatically standing up.

"You know how Reiko likes her secrets." Lucy smiled, playfully pushing the Martian, seemingly unfazed by Usagi's outburst. Meanwhile Minako had to physically bite down on her tongue to stop herself from yelling. _'The only one who gets to call her Reiko is ME you stupid slut.'_

 _"_ How did you two meet?" Ami jumped in before the Venusian could explode.

"Oh well I was going to a rehearsal before my show and Reiko kinda followed me in. We got to talking and she told me about this stupid bimbo who broke her heart. I just went through a similar problem and we just kind of clicked and hit it off." Lucy smiled and the group went quiet, everyone glancing over at Minako at the mention of said 'bimbo'.

"I didn't use the word bimbo." Rei jumped in, sweat starting to form on her brow as Minako glared daggers at her, ringing her hands under the table.

"No, you're right. What you said was much worse. You called her a . . ."

"We don't need to go into that right now." Rei laughed nervously, interrupting the confused pink haired girl.

"Oh would you look at the time. I really must be going." Minako stood up abruptly, unable to sit there and listen to Lucy any longer.

"Wait, before you go." Lucy stood up, intercepting the blonde before she could retreat. "I'm playing a show tonight and I would love it if you all came."

"I don't know . . ." Minako shifted her eyes to the side, looking over at Rei.

"Please! Reiko talks about you guys nonstop and I would just adore it if I could hang out with you guys more." Lucy pleaded Minako with her eyes.

"Can I bring a date?" The Venusian stood up straighter, looking away from her crush.

"Of course." Lucy smiled.

"Date? You're not seeing anyone." Rei crossed her arms, glaring up at the blonde.

"Don't be rude Reiko." Lucy sent a warning look at her girlfriend.

"You're not the only one who keeps secrets." Minako smiled her fake sweet smile the Martian hated so much. "I'll be there."

"Great! I can't wait!" Lucy smiled and pulled Minako into a very uncomfortable hug. "See you later Nina!" The pink haired girl sat back down next to Rei.

"It's Minako." The blonde glared over at Lucy before she left.

"You guys are coming too right?" Lucy smiled at the rest of the group.

"Yeah, of course. I didn't know Rei-chan was dating a rock star! Why do you always keep the best secrets from us Rei-chan!?" Usagi cried out.

"Because I knew you'd act like this." Rei sighed, resting her forehead on the table with thoughts of Minako racing through her mind.

Minako walked down the street, heading for home, her head swimming with everything that just happened. _'How could she do this? Why didn't she tell me about her? More importantly why do I even care? It's not like we we were ever exclusive.'_ The blonde let out a heavy sigh as she walked into her bedroom, plopping down onto her soft mattress. _'What am I going to do?'_ Was Minako's last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

 _-Flashback-_

It had been a week since the attack and Mars still hadn't woken up. Minako was starting to become restless with worry, she found herself spending most of her time in the infirmary sitting next to the Martian's bed and today would be no different as the blonde strolled down the halls. She was about to pull open the door, but was beat to the punch when Ami came bursting out of the infirmary.

"She's gone." The blunette's eyes looked around frantically, hoping to catch a glimpse of raven hair.

"Gone? What do you mean she's gone?" Venus' heart rate picked up in her chest as panic started to set in.

"Mars was here this afternoon and when I came in to check on her just now I found her bed empty and her IV hanging off the side of the bed. We have to find her. She shouldn't be out in this state. What if someone took her?" Mercury started rambling.

"Mercury." Venus gripped the shorter girl's shoulders to snap her out of her stupor. "You need to pull yourself together. I'm worried about her too, but us standing around talking about how worried we are isn't going to help Rei. Go find Jupiter and tell her what happened. We'll split up and find her okay?" Mercury just nodded her head dumbly in response before Minako took off running, checking every room, the gardens, the kitchen, everywhere until an idea popped into her head. _'She wouldn't be that stupid . . .'_ Venus went off a hunch and ran to the training grounds. When she opened the door her heart rate slowed down and a frown adorned her face. "Looks like you proved me wrong again." Standing with a sword in hand Mars was attacking a wooden soldier over and over again, striking the wood harder after each swing, sweat pouring down her face.

"Huh?" Mars turned around, her chest heaving, making eye contact with a very upset looking Venusian.

"I thought to myself before I came over here that you wouldn't be stupid enough to be training after you just woke up, but here you are, proving me wrong yet again." The blonde strode over to the Martian, glaring daggers at her comrade.

"I don't need rest." Mars glared back defiantly.

"Oh yes you do. Give me that." Venus went to grab the sword from Mars' hand, but the Martian was still quicker than her, pulling her hand back before she could take it.

"No. We almost died, because of those things. Because we weren't ready. I should have been faster, stronger, better, but I failed." Mars gripped the sword tighter, looking down to the ground.

"You didn't fail Mars." Venus' tone softened. "You saved both of us. No one could have been prepared for something like that." The blonde went to grab the sword again, but Mars grabbed her commander's wrist with her free hand.

"You don't understand." Mars glared at the blonde.

Venus grabbed the Martian's wrist gripping hers and quickly twisted her body, sending Mars flying onto her back. Mars went to stand up, but the blonde was quicker and straddled the stubborn girl, pinning her wrists down onto the ground. "No, you don't understand! You saved me! You saved the princess almost at the cost of your own life. You were out for a week and when I came to see you you were gone! What if something had happened to you? What if I never got to thank you for what you did . . .?" Venus' blue eyes welled up with tears that she refused to let fall, a storm raging in the ocean she called her eyes.

"T-thank me?" A light blush was barely visible through the darkness of the night on Mars' face. "What do you-"

Before Mars could keep talking Venus leaned in, pressing her full lips against the Martian's. Venus was immediately surprised by how soft Rei's lips were, she always thought that because Rei was a Martian that her lips and her touch would be rough like the rest of her demeanor. She was even more surprised when Mars started kissing her back. She let out a satisfied sigh against the other girl's lips, letting go of Mars' wrists, sliding her hands down her arms until they came to rest on the side of the Martian's face.

With her hands free Mars brought her hands to the back of Venus' legs she had been admiring for a while, slowly running her hands up the back of her thighs as she leaned up a little more, deepening the kiss. Their lips moved together perfectly, slowly at first, but as they continued to make out it became more intense. Venus started to move her hips in a slow rhythmic motion against Mars, adding fuel to the fire already raging while Mars slid her fingertip up the back of her thighs, stopping just below the curve of her ass, unsure if she should go further.

Venus smiled against the other girl's lips, removing her hands from her face to hike up her skirt to her hips as she bit Mars' lower lip, tugging on it slowly. Mars let out a soft almost inaudible moan when Venus ground her hips a little harder into the Martian. Venus smiled wickedly to herself, releasing Rei's lower lip only to capture her lips in a deeper kiss, running her tongue along her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Mars was all too happy to oblige, pushing her tongue against Venus' while her hands roamed further up, gripping the blonde's tight butt she spent so much time looking at, pulling her commander impossibly closer to her.

Their breathing was getting heavier, their kissing becoming more urgent as Mars moved her hands under Venus' skirt, gripping the top of her thighs, her thumbs teasingly massaging her inner thigh, so close to where Venus needed her. Venus let out a soft moan, gripping Mars' soft black locks in her fingers, her heart pounding so hard in her chest she though she might have a heart attack. Venus was the first to pull away from the kiss just so she could attack the Martian's neck, sucking on it lightly to mark her territory.

"Mmm Rei . . ." Venus kissed her way up to Rei's ear. "Fuck me." She bit her earlobe, moving her hips harder against the girl trapped beneath her. Mars was so close to getting what she wanted she could taste it, but an odd thought suddenly struck her. She pulled away from the blonde and Minako looked down at her with confused blue eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Is this how you thank people on your planet?" An indescribable emotion was running through Mars' eyes.

"What?" Minako sat up straighter, slowly catching her breath.

"Is this your way of thanking me? By fucking?" A different type of fire was rising in Mars' chest as she stood up abruptly sending the blonde flying onto her butt.

"Mars." Venus stood up quickly, a feeling of dread taking over her.

"Is this all just a game to you?" The raven haired girl stepped back.

"What? No! I just-"

"Save it." Mars looked down. "A simple thank you would have sufficed."

Before Venus could respond Mars already turned around and stormed out of the training grounds, slamming the door behind her. "Fuck." Venus sighed, slumping down against a wall, her body still on fire from the Martian's touch.

 _-End Flashback-_

Later that night the group stood outside the club waiting for a certain Venusian to arrive.

"Where is she? The show is about to start." Rei looked at her watch impatiently.

"Maybe you scared her off." Usagi stuck her tongue out at Rei, hiding behind Momoru before Rei could retaliate.

"Well if she doesn't get here soon I'm going in without her." The Martian looked off the the side, crossing her arms.

"Cool your tits. I'm here." Minako rolled her eyes, strolling up with a certain tall blonde she met at the club, wearing the shortest skirt she could find. Rei's eyes raked up the blonde's long legs, the memory fresh in her mind of Venus and her little skirt. A satisfied smile formed on the blonde's face when she caught her comrade checking her out, she had hoped wearing a little skirt would jog her memory of what she was missing.

"So nice of you to join us. Who is this?" Rei narrowed her eyes, scanning the man up and down.

"I'm Jake." He smiled the most charming smile he could muster under the Martian's intense glare.

"We met at the club." Minako smiled, batting her eyes at Rei.

"Ooooh you guys met the other night right? Before that crazy attack broke out?" Rei smiled, suddenly remembering where she had seen him before.

"Yeah, we were dancing and then all Hell broke loose. I lost her in the crowd when everything started going down and when I went looking for her one of those things attacked me, but I was able to fight it off. I'm just glad she made it out okay and we were able to meet up again." Jake smiled proudly at his blatant lie, putting his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"How would you know about that?" Minako narrowed her eyes at Rei.

"Oh, I stopped by there when I got back. Thank god you were there Jake otherwise I don't know if Minako would have made it out of there alive. It was really brave of you to go searching for her. Most guys would have just . . . I don't know . . . run away like a coward." Rei smiled and Jake shifted uncomfortably under the Martian's judgmental gaze.

"Weren't you just complaining about being late for the show? I think it's starting." Minako sent one more glare at Rei before she dragged Jake inside. Rei rolled her eyes, following close behind Minako and her date, trying desperately to keep her jealousy in check and her eyes off of the blonde's ass.

"I feel like we missed something." Mamoru rubbed the back of his head as the rest of the group sighed, following behind the bickering lovers.

Once inside Rei found herself forced to stand next to Minako and Jake in the front of the crowd. She turned to make another smart remark at the blonde, but her mouth snapped shut when the lights dimmed and the curtain rose to reveal Lucy in very tiny shorts and a deep v-neck. Rei turned her attention back to the stage as a dark beat starting to course loudly through the speakers.

 **Ah ah ah oh You've got no place to hide.  
And I'm feeling like a villain, got a hunger inside.  
One look in my eyes, and you're running cause I'm coming going to eat you alive.  
Ah ah ah oh **

The second Lucy started to sing Rei seemed to go into a trance, her eyes glazing over as she watched Lucy dance up the stage, getting closer to her. The pink haired girl crawled to the edge of the stage, slowly making her way to the Martian she had locked in a stare. Minako looked over to her crush, watching Rei act in a way she had never seen before. She looked completely hypnotized.

 **Your heart hits like a drum, Oh, oh oh,  
The chase has just begun, oh, oh, oh  
Monsters stuck in your head we are, we are, we are  
Monsters under your bed we are, we are,  
We are Monsters oh, oh, we are, we are, we are monsters oh**

Rei closed her eyes, shivers going down her spine as her girlfriend sang into her ear, licking her earlobe softly before retreating back and standing up.

 **Ah ah ah oh -  
One misstep, your mine  
And you better stay clever if you wanna survive  
Once you cross the line  
You'll be wishing you would listen when you meet your demise,  
Ah ah ah oh**

 **Your heart hits like a drum,  
Oh, oh oh,  
The hunt has just begun, oh, oh, oh**

Once the second verse came around Lucy sent her dark gaze over to Minako, smiling deviously as she sang, walking down slowly to the crowd. The pink haired girl made her way through the drooling crowd, circling Minako as if she were a wolf and the Venusian was her prey. Minako narrowed her eyes as Lucy taunted her, singing into her ear and pushing her head lightly before walking back to the stage while Rei watched intently, never letting her eyes leave her girlfriend.

 **Monsters stuck in your head we are, we are, we are  
Monsters under your bed we are, we are,  
We are Monsters oh, oh, we are, we are, we are monsters oh  
we never shoot to stun, we're kings of the killing, we're out for blood,  
we'll take them one by one, we're kings of the killing, we're out for blood,  
we never shoot to stun, we're kings of the killing, we're out for blood,  
we'll take them one by one, we're kings of the killing, we're out for blood**

 _'Something isn't right.'_ Minako stared up intently at the stage, glaring daggers at Lucy.

 **Monsters stuck in your head we are, we are, we are  
Monsters under your bed we are, we are,  
We are Monsters oh, oh, we are, we are, we are monsters  
oh ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, oh**

When the show was over the group made their way outside and Usagi could barely contain herself. "I had no idea you girlfriend was so cool!" The blonde jumped up and down excitedly.

"Yeah, that was a really good show." Makoto smiled.

"That's YOUR girlfriend?" Jake's eyes widened, looking over at the Martian.

"Yup." Rei smiled confidently.

"Lucky." Jake sighed earning him a glare from Minako.

"She's not that great." The Venusian looked down at her nails in a bored manor.

"She's fantastic!" Usagi smiled dreamily with stars in her eyes while Minako just rolled her eyes, leaving the group.

"Where are you going?" Jake frowned, clearly worried he upset his date.

"I have to pee. Is that a crime?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"Nope. Go ahead." Jake quickly stepped back, not wanting to receive the wrath of Minako.

The Venusian sighed, turning down an alley once she was out of sight. The truth of the matter was that she needed to get away from Rei and Lucy's adoring fans. She couldn't stand the girl and she clearly had her Reiko under some type of voodoo bitchcraft spell.

"Hey. Nina right?" Minako had wandered into the alley and was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice the pink haired girl casually leaning against the brick wall with a cigarette in hand.

"Minako." The blonde stopped in front of Lucy, glaring at the other girl.

"Right. Sorry." The pink haired girl smiled a wolfish smile. It wasn't so much a smile, but more like a wild animal bearing it's teeth at it's prey. "How did you like the show?" She took a slow drag of her cigarette, exhaling her smoke and smirking when Minako visually flinched away from it, waving it out of her face.

"It was alright. It just wasn't really my cup of tea." Minako shrugged, inwardly grinning when the smirk dropped from Lucy's face.

"Reiko seems to like it a lot." Lucy pushed off the wall, narrowing her eyes at Minako.

" _Reiko_ likes a lot of things." The blonde crossed her arms.

"Like you?" Lucy stepped closer to the Venusian, getting just inches away from her.

"I didn't say that, but now that you mention it . . ." Minako smiled, blue eyes piercing dark pink ones, standing her ground as the other girl tried to intimidate her.

"I know who you are and what you did." Lucy narrowed her eyes, a scowl adorning her face. "You're the girl who hurt MY Reiko."

"Let's make one thing clear right now. _Reiko_ doesn't belong to you." The blonde uncrossed her arms, dropping them to her sides as her hands balled into fists.

"Doesn't she?" Lucy's devilish smile reappeared on her face as she took a step back, a look of amusement playing in her eyes.

"I don't know who you are or what you've done to Rei, but I WILL get to the bottom of this." Minako stepped closer to the cheeky musician a fire blazing in her eyes.

"Oh, I've done _many_ things to Reiko and she loved _every_ second of it." Lucy looked defiantly back at the blonde, taking another drag of her cigarette, blowing the smoke right in the blonde's face. Minako felt jealousy raging through her body, thrashing around, demanding she destroy the girl standing before her, but she pulled herself together at the last moment, taking a step back. _'Her time will come soon enough. I have to be patient.'_

"You know . . . second hand smoke kills." Minako smiled an obviously fake smile before starting to retreat down the alley.

"I'm counting on it." Lucy flicked her cigarette in Minako's direction, turning and heading into the alleyway door to head backstage.

* * *

 **AN: Well there it is folks. Sorry if there's any spelling errors and such. I didn't have much time to look it over and make my usual corrections, because once again something has come up. Pretty please review and let me know what you think :) I promise to update this story by next Sunday**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Sooooo I feel atrocious for taking so long to update this story. I hit a bad streak of writer's block. I have a lot planned out for this story, but getting to certain plot points is proving to be difficult. I think I've cracked the code though and I should be able to update sooner rather than later if I get things in my life scheduled properly so I can set time aside to write more. Since you guys are so fantastic I just wanted to take a second to respond to your reviews before I start the chapter.**

 **Jedi Caro: I'm glad you just jumped into the story and you like it :)**

 **CCC: Thanks for the advice dude. I was forcing it a bit and the next chapters still might be a bit forced, but I'm trying to take my time with it. I just hate leaving people hanging :)**

 **Waffle282: Thanks for the pm. I'm not at all concerned about the anonymous reviewers. If they want to spend their time reading something they hate who am I to stop them? lol But I appreciate the nice message of encouragement and I will in no way abandon this story. Reviewers like you keep me going :) In response to your review there are a bunch of plot twists already planned out, it's just a matter of getting from point A to point B. I wish I could elaborate more, but no one likes spoilers. All I can say is Lucy's role is complicated :)**

 **kahlua milk: I adore the fact that you would think I would change the script for you, but alas I will not. Does this mean you're breaking up with me? We're really done? It's really over? haha**

 **Thunderall: Your reviews are always one of my favorites to read :) Rei and Mina don't really have their shit together in any sense in this story lol**

 **hotkillerz: But they're so easy to fuck with D: lol**

 **And last but not least I would like to have a moment of silence for all of the anonymous reviewers. Your childish remarks will be missed by all and I hope you have the courage to write your own story on here some day. With that being said here's chapter 9. While you're reading I'll probably be starting on chapter 10. I hope you all enjoy it :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Venus sighed, her heels clicking on the marble floor of the grand palace with every step she took. She dared not glance behind her where Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars followed in tow like ducklings. The Martian hadn't so much as spoken a word to her the last couple of days. Her heart ached when she looked to meet those dark eyes, but was only met with the frown she had grown accustomed to on the side of her face. Trying to push those thoughts out of her head the blonde pushed open the doors to the ballroom where all important meetings were held, walking in with her head held high, going to stand in front of the Queen sitting on her throne with Luna and Artemis at her side. Mars went to stand by her side with Jupiter next to her and Mercury next to the brunette. The feeling of having the Martian being so close, but being unable to touch her and talk to her was enough to drive the Venusian to the brink of insanity.

"Do you know why I've brought you here?" The Queen spoke with an air of authority.

"No your majesty." Venus stepped forward, speaking for the group.

"That attack that occurred has . . .troubled me. I've never seen a species like it. Have you been able to identify their origins?"

"No your majesty." Mercury stepped forward. "All of my tests have come back inconclusive. I've been searching through the archives to see if I can find any trace of these things, but I have yet to find anything of use."

"I see." The Queen looked down, her brow furrowed in thought. "Martian." She looked back up over to Mars. "I've yet to hear what happened from your point of view. Do you know anything that can be of use?"

"I've never seen anything like it either your majesty." Rei stepped forward next to Minako, ignoring the intense blue eyes begging for her attention. "I was out patrolling when I saw the Captain being attacked by five of those things. They were stronger than any Jovian I've met, their skin was hard and black like armor, and they didn't use any weapons. Instead they used their claws that were sharper than any sword forged by any Martian. After we killed off a group of them the much larger one came along, it must have been five times the size of the others. We were hardly a match for it, but we somehow made it out alive." Rei shifted her eyes over to the blonde to see her biting her lower lip in thought.

"Did they say what they wanted?" The Queen let her worry slip through her usually calm demeanor.

"No your majesty. The only thing one of them said was 'he'll find you.'" The Martian's brow furrowed, the words of the monster still troubling her.

"Who is he?"

"I . . . I don't know your majesty." Mars looked down in shame, before moving her eyes back up slowly to meet the Queen's concerned blue eyes.

"It would have been nice if you had left one alive to interrogate." The Queen sighed. "But I suppose it couldn't be helped. Do you think there will be more?"

"I don't know your majesty. It could have just been an isolated incident or . . ." Mars looked off to the side.

"Or what?" The Queen leaned forward in her chair.

"They could have been scouts." Amethyst eyes connected with the concerned blue of royalty.

"What are you saying?"

"When an army plans to invade they send scouts to test the planet's strengths and to find their weaknesses, but they can only get that information if their scouts return. As far as we know we killed them all. When the scouts don't return it usually means the army will not invade, but that doesn't mean we're in the clear. It just means that they would attack other planets first so their ranks could grow along with their strength."

"Should we be preparing for war?" The Queen bit her lower lip nervously.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know your majesty. Like I said, it could have been an isolated incident or it could have been scouts. Their purpose for being here was unclear, but I think we should be prepared either way."

"I agree. We'll hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. I'm calling in the delegates from each of your planets, we will hold a meeting and discuss what our plan of action is. In the meantime I'm appointing you second in command to Venus, we will have you properly anointed when the delegates arrive. I want you to double all of your training and patrols."

"Yes your majesty." Mars bowed, stepping back in place behind Venus.

"You're all free to leave. I need to get in contact with the other planets immediately." The Queen stood and the group started to file out of the room. "Oh and Mars? Venus?" The group stopped in their steps, turning their attention back to their Queen. "Thank you for your act of bravery. This palace still stands because the two of you."

"I would like to accept your thanks, but I'm afraid Mars is the one who deserves the praise." Venus looked down, blushing when she felt those dark eyes her. "I would have surely fallen had it not been for her."

"That's absurd." The group looked to Mars, the Queen raised her eyebrow at her outburst. "I couldn't have possibly taken those things on alone."

"Well thank you either way." The Queen smiled.

"No thanks is necessary. I was just doing my duty." Mars bowed to the Queen before making her exit along with a very stunned Venus. The Martian had been nothing but icy to her the last couple of days only to praise her in front of their Queen.

Minako walked slowly behind the group, deep in thought as they made their way down the hall. Whenever she thought she had the Martian figured out, taking her for cold and distant she would do something kind and thoughtful. When Mars went to head to her chambers for some rest the blonde seemed to snap out of her daze. "Hey Mars . . ." Mars stopped in her doorway, looking over her shoulder at the Venusian that plagued her thoughts and her very being as Mercury and Jupiter went along their way. The blonde was quiet for a moment as if having an internal battle. Mars sighed, turning her attention back to her room, but stopped once again when she felt two arms wrap around her waist from behind and Venus' perfect body pressed against her back in a tight embrace. "Thank you." Venus whispered with her cheek pressed against the miko's back, closing her eyes tightly, waiting for the Martian to react coldly.

Once again the Martian surprised her by gently placing her hands over her own wrapped around her waist, patting them lightly before slowly stepping forward and pulling away. "You're welcome." Mars said softly before closing the door behind her, leaving a hopeful Venus in her wake.

 _-End Flashback-_

Minako woke up with a sigh, lying in bed for an extra twenty minutes, thinking on the events that had occurred within the last couple of months. Thinking about Rei had become a daily routine that she couldn't break. She had flashbacks every day since their 'incident' and was cursed with memories of the past and present. The blonde rolled over onto her side, gazing out the window. _'Why did I have to be so stupid? Could she have really moved on just like that? And what the Hell is up with that Lucy girl? There's something . . . off about her.'_

"Penny for your thoughts?" Artemis jumped onto the bed, breaking Minako from her thoughts.

"I'm just thinking . . ." She sighed.

"About?" The white feline moved to sit in front of his charge's face.

"Rei . . ."

"Oh." Artemis nodded, looking off to the side.

"Do you think . . . she has really moved on from me? Is there really no hope?" Minako bit her lower lip, holding back her tears.

"As your mentor I don't think that you two should have ever gotten involved with each other in that way to begin with. It's unprofessional and not good for the team." He started sternly.

"I know." Minako rolled her eyes, lying on her back again. "Forget I said anything."

"But as your friend . . ." He continued, walking onto her chest and sitting down, looking into her blue eyes. "I don't think she has gotten over you at all. She told you she loves you and I think she has loved you for a long time and I don't mean in just this life. She loved you then too."

"What?" Minako sat up, looking at her mentor in shock.

"I shouldn't say this, but . . . I don't think you should give up. She still loves you." Artemis sighed.

"How could you possibly know that?" Minako sat up, looking pleadingly at her feline friend. "And what about Lucy?"

"Lucy?" The cat tilted his head to the side, obviously perplexed.

"Rei's new girlfriend." The blonde plopped back down, glaring up at the ceiling.

"When did this happen?"

"When she left for a couple of weeks I guess. It was love at first sight." Minako said the last sentence in a sarcastically sweet tone, hugging her pillow to her chest. The blonde redirected her glare at the cat when she heard him laughing to himself. "What's so damn funny?"

"There's only one thing that can rival a Martian's temper." Artemis smiled, jumping down from the bed.

"And what's that?" The senshi of love sat back up, staring at her feline friend as he paused in the doorway, looking over his shoulder with a small smile.

"A Venusian's jealousy. Don't let it cloud your judgement Minako. This Lucy girl sounds like a speed bump. She loves you." And with that the white cat disappeared from the blonde's sight.

Minako sat for a moment, thinking on what her friend told her when her phone buzzed. A small smile formed on her face when she saw the topic of their discussion had been the one to text her simply saying _'Meet me at my place in an hour.'_

 _'Can't wait :)'_ Was what the blonde hastily texted back before falling back down onto her bed with a dreamy sigh. "She loves me huh?"

 _-Flashback-_

The four girls stood at attention at the landing port, patiently waiting for the arrival of each of the planet's delegates. Blue eyes kept shifting over to the raven haired girl, wishing to hear the Martian speak. She had yet to say much of anything to the senshi of love since their encounter and it was starting to drive the blonde mad. Every part of her wanted to grab the girl by the shoulders and shake her, demanding she talk, but she knew it would be of no use. Martian's were the most stubborn species known in the galaxy . . . next to Venusians. The Martian's silence was not the only thing troubling her though. This would be one of the few times both their planet's delegates and people had been on the same planet, let alone the same kingdom. She did not know who would step out of line first; the Martians or her own kind or if nothing would happen at all. Before she could think too much on the subject a space shuttle appeared in the distance, sending their capes flying in the wind, each girl's cape bearing the color of the home planet.

The first ship bore the mark of Mercury, it was no surprise to any of them that they arrived first. As the door opened the delegates smiled at the sight of Mercury, stepping out and embracing the small girl, shaking the rest of the girls' hands after. Mercury opened her mouth to ask a question, but Venus was quick to cut her off with a smile. "You guys go and catch up. We'll stand here and wait for the others."

"Thank you." Mercury smiled, walking off with her friends.

The next to arrive were the Jovians, all of them came pouring out immediately, joyously embracing Makoto, shaking hands with Mars and Venus soon after."We're going to the training grounds to get reacquainted. Be sure to come by when the Martians arrive so we can have proper contest." Jupiter grinned over at her raven haired friend.

"I wouldn't call it much of a contest." A small smirk formed on the Martian's face causing the group to laugh.

"We shall see about that." One of the delegates laughed, patting Makoto on the back as they took off.

"It's nice to see you guys getting along." Venus smiled over at Mars. The miko only nodded in acknowledgement, her frown setting again, awaiting her planet's arrival. "Do you think my planet will receive the same courtesy?"

"It's hard to tell what will happen." Mars said softly and before the conversation could continue a shuttle bearing the mark of Mars slowly descended. The door hissed open and ten men piled out. All of them were decked out head to toe in full body armor colored crimson red and black, bearing the mark of their home planet. They all had the same look Rei bore and kept their composure except for two of them who smiled upon seeing the raven haired girl.

"What type of armor is that?" Phobos laughed, walking over to his friend.

"A skirt, a shirt, a cape? What will that protect you from?" Deimos teased, circling his friend.

"They're adamant I wear this." Mars sighed, already growing irritated with the pair.

"Ah, we're just giving you a hard time." Phobos smiled, embracing Mars. "It's been too long."

"And who is this?" One of the delegates looked over at Venus with clear distaste.

"She is the commander of our guard." Rei stood up straighter, ignoring the way Venus shifted her eyes away from the group.

"A Venusian?" One of the others laughed. "This must be a joke!"

"It is not." Mars snapped, looking dangerously at the others.

"And how did she get that title?" One of them laughed. "By-"

"The Jovians are waiting at the training grounds. I don't want to keep them waiting." Mars interrupted again, seeing how uncomfortable Venus was becoming. "Unless you want them to think we are bowing out from their challenge."

"Never!" Phobos and Deimos chimed in together, trying to break the tension. The other delegates sent Venus one more distasteful look before begrudgingly heading away while Mars hung back.

"I will see that their attitudes are adjusted immediately. I apologize for-"

"You don't need to apologize for them." Venus looked over at the raven haired girl, blue eyes locking with amethyst. "Thanks for standing up for me. I didn't want to say anything to make things worse."

Mars just nodded in understanding, slowly heading over to the training grounds when she saw the Venusian shuttle descending. The second the doors opened blonde hair came running in her direction. "Minako!"

"Olithia?" Minako slowly detached herself from the girl hugging her in a tight embrace. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't miss out on an opportunity to see a long lost friend!" The other blonde smiled, pulling away from her friend. "Minako what in the world are you wearing?"

"Olithia this isn't a social gathering. We brought everyone here to talk about troubling news . . ." Venus sighed. "And please call me Venus here. I'm the commander and need to act professionally."

"When did you get so serious?" She laughed, hooking arms with Venus.

"I'm sorry about her." Adonis sighed, stepping up to Venus. "She kept insisting that she needed to come with. It's good to see you again." He flashed the most charming smile he could muster at Venus and it took everything in her not to flinch away when he left a chaste kiss on her cheek. There was a time where she would have swooned and melted at his charms, but she had long forgotten her ex-lover since she met Mars.

"Would you guys like a tour of the grounds?" She discretely took a step away from him, trying to redirect his attention.

"I would adore a tour!" Olithia jumped in, leading the way with Venus.

 _'It's going to be a long day.'_ Venus sighed to herself.

While Venus gave a tour of the palace the Martians walked in awkward silence towards the training grounds, occasionally taking note of their surroundings as Mars did when she first arrived.

"It's about time you guys showed up!" Jupiter yelled joyously when the group arrived. "We were afraid you guys had backed out."

"You wish." Mars grinned, picking up a wooden sword. "Now who would like a taste of dirt first?"

While the Martians and Jovians sparred Venus showed her friends the gardens, the ballroom, everything except the training grounds in hopes of giving the two groups enough time to spar and perhaps be gone by the time she got there. Unfortunately for her that was not the case.

"And these are the training grounds." The blonde led the group to the balcony overlooking the grounds and the people sparring in them.

"Of course the savages are fighting." Adonis rolled his eyes literally and figuratively looking down on the Martians.

"They are most definitely not savages." Venus glared over at Adonis, causing a blush to form on his cheeks.

"Wow! Look at those muscles!" Olithia swooned, leaning over the balcony to get a better look at the Martians. "Oooh and look at that one!" Minako followed Olithia's gaze only to see it settled on HER Martian. "Who is she?"

"That's Mars. She's second in command." Venus stood up a little straighter, watching Olithia out of the corner of her eye, feeling an unfamiliar bubbling in her stomach at how she looked at Mars with such wonder.

"She's so gorgeous. You would think she's part Venusian." Olithia smiled over at Venus, but quickly snapped her attention back to Mars skillfully dodging the Jovian's attacks. "Look how she moves so swiftly and with such vigor. I wonder if she would have the same enthusiasm in the bedroom." The blonde smiled wickedly to herself, licking her lips. "You know I've heard some things about Martians." She looked over at Venus with a devious look in her eyes.

"Oh?" The love senshi raised an eyebrow.

"I heard the only thing that rivals a Martian's thirst for blood is their thirst for . . . you know." Olithia grinned. "Is that true?"

"I wouldn't know." Venus replied dryly, watching Mars laughing with the Jovian as they sparred. In that moment Mars turned around and amethyst eyes met with blue for the briefest of seconds. The blonde couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as she watched her crush fight from above as if they had been in similar roles before.

"You mean you haven't done anything with her?" Olithia's eyes widened and her devious smile returned.

"No." Venus looked away from Mars, off to the side, deep in thought.

"So she's fair game?" Olithia's smile got impossibly bigger.

"What?" Venus snapped her head back in her friend's direction.

"You girls and your games." Adonis shook his head laughing, placing his hand on the small of Venus' back.

Down on the training grounds Mars made a quick jump and roll as the Jovian she was sparring with aimed to sweep her off of her feet with his Spear. She stood with her sword at the ready, but couldn't help feeling distracted by the eyes piercing her back. Her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink knowing that all of the attention was on her. She turned her head ever so slightly to see Venus standing incredibly close with the tall blonde man who seemed to have his hand on her lower back. Her blood immediately started boiling over with jealousy at how familiar he was being with her. When the Jovian stabbed forward aiming for her midsection Mars couldn't control herself as the green beast reared it's ugly head. She quickly spun out of the way, punching the middle of the Jovian's spear, effectively breaking it in two. He dropped his spear to punch her, but Mars was much too fast for him. Grabbing his fist mid air she turned and threw him on his back, pushing her knee into his chest to hold him in place as she lifted her fist to start pummeling him.

"Mercy, mercy. You win." The Jovian laughed, snapping Mars out of her rage. The raven haired girl smiled, standing up and offering her hand to help him up to his feet.

"Looks like the Venusian whores are back." One of the Martians grumbled, causing the miko's ears to perk.

"How did a Venusian become commander anyway?" Another one laughed. "How many dicks did she have to suck to get the title?"

"What did you say?" Mars turned sharply on her heal, slowly heading towards the man who spoke out of turn.

"I said..." He started, glaring defiantly at the fire senshi. "How did that Venusian whore become commander? How many dicks did she have to su-"

Before he could finish what he was saying Mars threw a fast right hook, hitting him square in the jaw, sending him stumbling back. As he was trying to regain his balance Mars was quick to tackle him to the ground, pinning his arms down with her knees, sitting on his chest as she started to punch him in the face over and over again. His face became more bloody and damaged by the second. When she went to grab her sword from her sheath Phobos and Deimos ran in, grabbing her by her arms and pulling her away before she could kill the man.

"You got him, he's down." Phobos whispered in her ear, trying to calm her temper. When they were sure she wouldn't decapitate the man lying on the ground they let her go.

"Listen up! Because I'm only going to say this once!" Rei had a murderous look in her eyes as they swept across her men, demanding their attention. "We are in the Lunarian Court. Venus Minako is supreme commander. If any one of you speaks ill of her or ANY Venusian for that matter I will have your head on a stick. Do you understand!?" The Martian's turned ghostly white at her tone, nodding dumbly that they understood, while others looked at their fallen friend from the corner of their eye. "Good. Now get that asshole to the infirmary before I change my mind and kill him." A couple of men were quick to grab their fallen comrade and scurried out of there before Mars changed her mind.

"Well that was drastic, but probably necessary." Jupiter walked up to Mars, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry about that . . ." Mars looked down at her bloody hand, her cheeks turning hot and pink, knowing Venus was witness to her savagery. "It was the only way to make them listen."

"I understand." Jupiter smiled. "You did what you had to do to get them to listen. We're all just impressed by how fast you had that guy on his back." She laughed, slapping her raven haired friend on the back.

"Yeah, you've gotten a lot stronger and faster since we parted." Phobos chimed in with a smile. "Pulling you off of him was not an easy task."

"I'm glad you punched him." Deimos stepped up to her side, nudging her in the ribs playfully. "That asshole was pissing me off the whole ride here."

The group kept talking and laughing as Venus and her friends looked down in astonishment. She had not heard what the man said to provoke Mars to attack him, but she was sure it had something to do with her and hearing what she told the men afterwards just confirmed her suspicions.

"Savages." Adonis rolled his eyes, trying to lead Venus away from the training grounds.

"That 'savage' just stood up for not only me, but you guys too." Venus took an angry step back, glaring at her ex-lover in disbelief.

"It was wonderful." Olithia sighed dreamily.

"Beating a man to a bloody pulp is wonderful?" Adonis laughed.

"I'd be careful what you say. She might hear you and kick your ass too." Olithia stuck her tongue out at the brooding man.

"I highly doubt that." He chuckled. "She attacked an unprepared man. Of course she won. A savage like her would stand no chance against a well trained noble."

"I've had just about enough of your ignorance." Venus finally snapped, glaring up at Adonis, lowering her voice to a dangerous tone as she stepped up slowly to the taller man. "If you so much as think the word savage again you will suffer a fate far worse than that mans."

"Is that a threat or a promise?" Adonis smiled, leaning in towards Venus.

"Test me and you'll find out." Venus sent one more glare in the blonde man's direction before sidestepping him, walking past him coldly, unaware of dark eyes watching her with great interest from below.

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 **AN: Well there it is folks. I would love to hear your feedback and any ideas you might have. This writer's block is a bitch.**


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I'm so happy I'm finally able to update my story again! My computer crashed, but luckily my fiance is awesome and got me a new laptop for Christmas :D Anyways, I'd like to thank all of the reviewers for being awesome and reviewing every chapter and I'd also like to thank the reviewers that spoke out against the aholes that have been plaguing this site. Especially Thunderfall. You're the real MVP :D Well I hope you enjoy the new chapter :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Savages**

Minako smiled to herself, thinking of all the things Rei could possibly want her to come over for. _'Maybe she wants to finally talk about what happened, about us, the flashbacks, and maybe if I'm really lucky she wants a repeat of that night.'_ The blonde could barely contain herself from skipping to the shrine, but was able to hold back due to the stares she would probably receive from people passing by. When she got to the miko's front door she let out a slow breath, urging herself to calm down as she fixed her hair, and looked down at her outfit to make sure it was cute enough. When Minako decided she was presentable and ready for whatever may happen she finally knocked on the front door.

"Minako?" Rei raised an eyebrow, seeing the blonde standing on her front doorstep.

"Hey." The blonde smiled shyly.

"What are you doing here?" The raven haired girl's eyes knit together in confusion.

"Uhh . . . you told me to come over. Did you have a seizure or something?" Minako laughed, pushing her way past Rei into her house.

"Minako I -" Rei started, following the blonde in utter confusion, trying to talk, but Minako was too excited to hear what her crush had to say.

"I'm glad you told me to come over Rei, because we really do need to talk." Minako turned to face Rei once they reached her living room, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Talk about what?"

Minako snapped her head in the direction of the voice she had grown to hate so much to see Lucy walking down Rei's stairs, drying off her damp hair with a towel. "What are you doing here?" The blonde narrowed her eyes, glaring up at Rei's girlfriend.

"I'm the one who invited you over silly." Lucy smiled her wolfish smile at a very confused Minako.

"The text came from Rei's phone." Minako felt her heart sinking, realizing she had fallen into some type of fucked up trap Lucy had planted.

"You went through my phone?" Rei looked even more confused and even slightly upset at her girlfriend.

"I wanted to surprise you babe." Lucy walked over to Rei, kissing her on the cheek. "And don't worry about all that ecchi stuff you have on there. It's nothing I haven't seen before." The pink haired girl winked at the now blushing Martian.

Minako had to refrain from gagging and from ripping the girls' hair out at the same time and it was proving to be a very difficult task. "What the hell do I have to do with your little 'surprise'?"

"I invited everyone over. You were just the first to show up. Did you need to talk to Rei or something?" Lucy smiled her fake innocent smile at Minako

"We'e here Rei!" Usagi came bursting through the front door.

"Have you ever heard of knocking?" Rei's eye twitched in annoyance.

"Sorry Rei." Makoto rubbed the back of her head as she walked in with Ami. "We tried to keep her at bay, but she wouldn't wait."

"You had me so worried Rei-chan!" Usagi cried, hugging her friend.

"Why were you worried? What did you say to them?" Rei sent a glare in Lucy's direction, looking around for her phone only to see Lucy dangling it in the air with a smile. The fire senshi obviously didn't find her girlfriend very amusing as she snatched it from her hand, looking down at the screen. She let out a sigh and sent her glare over to Usagi. "She just said 'meet me at my place in an hour.' You're ridiculous sometimes dumpling head."

"It sounded urgent!" Usagi defended herself, stomping her foot.

"How does that sound urgent?" Rei sighed, rubbing her temples, turning her attention back to her girlfriend. "Why did you invite everyone over here?"

"I'm glad you asked _Reiko."_ Lucy smiled, tossing her towel half hazardously onto the couch as she strolled over to her bag. Rei watched Lucy's back wearily as she shuffled through some things. When the pink haired girl turned around she was wearing a victorian looking black mask that covered her eyes. "I formally invite you all to a very exclusive masquerade."

"A masquerade?" Rei raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"How delightful!" Usagi jumped up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. "It will be just like the old days!"

"The old days?" Lucy tilted her head to the side, her mask hiding the furrow in her brow. "Have you guys gone to many masquerades before?"

"No." Makoto answered quickly, everyone glaring over at Usagi at her slip up. "We just uh . . ."

"We used to party a lot together." Minako recovered smoothly, running a hand through her golden strands. "Anyways why are you inviting all of us? Don't you have your own friends?" The blonde glared over at the pink haired girl.

"The life of a musician is an awesome one, but also doesn't leave much room for friends." Lucy shrugged. "The masquerade is tonight. We're celebrating the blood moon that will be happening soon."

"What's a blood moon?" Usagi tilted her head to the side.

"It when there is an eclipse and it makes the moon turn red. Some believe it means the end of the world is near." Ami jumped in.

"And that's reason to celebrate?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"No, it's just a reason to get dressed up, put on a mask, and drink. You never know which day will be your last so why not go out in style? Are you guys in or not?" The pink haired girl looked around at the group of people, each of them wearing a troubled look except for one bubbly princess.

"Lucy . . ." Rei started, rubbing the back of her head. "I don't-"

"We're in!" Usagi jumped around excitedly.

"We are?" Minako looked skeptically over at their princess.

"Great. Be there at ten p.m. sharp. Oh and Minako, please tell me you're not wearing that outfit tonight." Lucy looked the blonde up and down mockingly, causing the Venusian's cheeks to turn a bright pink.

With a roll of her eyes Minako headed for the front door, slamming it behind her as she started to descend down the steps. Her blood boiling and her heart sinking lower and lower as realization dawned on her. _'Artemis was wrong . .. '_

"Minako, wait up!" Came a familiar voice.

"What is it Rei?" Minako sighed, turning around.

"You said we need to talk . . ." Rei had a pleading look in her dark eyes. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

"Nothing." Minako's eyes drifted down to the ground. "I guess I just misunderstood the situation."

"I'm sorry she texted you like that. I had no idea she would go through my phone and do something like this. If you need to talk to me I'm -"

"It's fine Rei. Forget I said anything. Go back to your girlfriend, I need to get some things for tonight." Minako turned back around, going to walk away, but was stopped by the Martian's hand grabbing her elbow.

"You don't seem fine." Rei stepped closer to the blonde, her heart pounding in her chest.

"I appreciate your concern Rei, but I'm fine. I need to go now." Minako gently pulled her arm from Rei's grip, going to walk away.

"Are you bringing Jake tonight?" Rei looked off to the side, causing the blonde to stop in her steps, turning her head to the side to look at the girl behind her.

"No. He was never really what I wanted." Minako smiled sadly before walking off on her own, leaving a very stunned Martian in her wake.

"What is it you want then . . .?" Rei asked herself softly, looking down at the ground before begrudgingly heading back up to the shrine.

 _-Flahsback-_

Venus had spent the whole day with Olithia and to her dismay Adonis who stayed by her side like a lost puppy. As they made their way to the dining hall Olithia chatted happily about all of the latest gossip on Venus. She feigned interest, trying to keep her thoughts off the Martian and their heated kiss a week before as the other blonde chatted about who was fucking who. As they were about to walk through the doors the person who plagued her thoughts just so happened to run into them.

"Hey Mars." Venus smiled seeing the other girl with her two comrades she had failed to introduce her to.

"Oh hey Venus." Mars didn't even look at her, instead she was too busy staring at the man next to her.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced." Olithia jumped in, causing Mars' dark eyes to snap in her direction, confusion written all over her face. "I'm Olithia." The blonde smiled, stepping forward and holding out her hand for the Martian to shake. Venus eyed her friend, that bubbling starting in the pit of her stomach again at the way Olithia looked at Mars.

"Mars." The raven haired girl cautiously took her hand, shaking it.

"That display at the training grounds was quite impressive. I think I speak for all of us when I say thank you for saying that. It's nice to know not all Martian's harbor ill feelings towards us considering our complicated past." Olithia smiled flirtatiously at Mars.

"Yeah, beating that man to a bloody pulp was quite impressive." Adonis scoffed, looking off to the side.

"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name." Mars glared over at the tall blonde, standing too close to Venus for her taste.

"I'm Adnonis." His blue eyes locked with the Martian's dark ones defiantly, puffing out his chest a bit as he stood taller. "I'm one of the King's guard."

Phobos and Deimos recognized the dangerous look in their friend's eyes and were quick to jump in before things could escalate. "I'm Phobos and this is Deimos." The tall dark haired man smiled, stepping in front of their friend, forcing Adonis to shake his hand. Though Phobos was smiling he had Adonis' hand in a tight grip, crushing the man's hand in his own. "We are also the King's guard on our planet. Come, let's go get ourselves seated and swap stories." Before the blonde could protest both men dragged him into the dining hall.

"I'm sorry about him. I thought I had his attitude corrected earlier, but I will see to it that he does not step out of line again." Venus glared after Adonis before snapping her eyes back to Mars.

"He's just jealous." Olithia laughed. "He can't stand to have someone have all of the attention on them instead of him."

"Olithia . . ." Venus started, looking over at her friend who was obviously too into the Martian in front of her to pay attention to her friend.

"I can't say I blame him though." Olithia stepped up to Mars who looked a little uneasy with the girl getting closer to her. "When you're in the presence of someone so beautiful and intriguing it's hard to not get jealous."

"Um . . . I . . ." Mars stuttered as the blonde got too close to her for comfort.

"Come and sit with me. I'll be your date for the night and be the envy of everyone here." Olithia smiled deviously, grabbing the Martian by the arm before she could protest, dragging her into the dinning hall with a very unhappy Venus trailing behind them.

When the trio entered the ballroom Mars could feel everyone's eyes on her, but the ones that bothered her the most were Venus'. She could barely stop the shiver that ran down her spine at the piercing feeling of that possessive stare boring a hole into the back of her head. They made their way to their comrades with Olithia hanging on Mars' arm and when they sat down she was practically sitting on the Martian's lap. Venus took a seat on the other side of Mars, keeping a close eye on the blonde, clenching her fists tightly to hold herself back.

"Who's your new friend?" Makoto raised an eyebrow, holding back the laugh that wanted to burst from her lips seeing her friend in such distress.

"She isn't -" Mars started, but was rudely interrupted.

"I'm Olithia." The blonde smiled.

"She's an old friend from my home planet." Venus jumped in, glaring over at Olithia.

"Oh? How did you become . . . acquainted with Mars then?" Makoto hid her smirk behind a glass of wine, drinking slowly as she watched the three girls with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"We just met really." Olithia smiled, oblivious to Makoto's blatant teasing. "I saw her on the training grounds and thought she was a warrior truly blessed by the gods." The blonde placed her hand on the Martian's exposed knee, starting to slowly slide it up her inner thigh. "Since then I've been determined to become better . . ." Her hand slid higher up as Mars gulped uncomfortably, her actions not going unnoticed by Venus who was practically seething in her seat, gripping her hand in a tight fist under the table. " _acquainted_ with her." The blonde emphasized her statement with a squeeze to the blushing Martian's inner thigh.

"I'm thirsty!" Mars suddenly jumped up when she felt Olithia's fingertips get too high up on her thigh. "Does anyone want anything to drink while I'm up?" She looked around the table, avoiding Olithia's hungry gaze and Venus' jealous glare.

"I could go for some wine. Be a sport and go fetch me some." Adonis smiled cockily as he made his appearance, sitting down in the empty spot next to Venus, smugly wrapping his arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"Sure thing." Mars replied through gritted teeth, fighting back her instinct to cut his arm off as she turned to find a pitcher.

"Mars." The Martian stopped in her tracks, hearing her name called, turning her head in the direction of the voice. "Hurry back." Olithia smiled, causing an uncomfortable shiver to run down the raven haired girl's spine.

"These crazy Venusians are really testing my patience." Mars grumbled to herself, walking off.

"I can see that." Deimos grinned, walking up to his friend, throwing a comforting arm around her.

"That one Venusian seems to be very fond of you." Phobos laughed, looking over at Olithia who was watching Mars over her shoulder as she poured her drink.

"She won't leave me alone." Mars said quietly with a hint of fear in her voice, refusing to look back at the giggling blonde as she took a drink from her glass.

"Well it's not like she's hard on the eyes. Maybe you should just . . . you know." Phobos wiggled his eyebrows suggestively with a smirk, nudging Mars.

Mars spit up her drink, nearly choking on the liquid. "What? No way!"

"Why not?" Deimos jumped in, leaning against the table. "It's not like you'll have to see her again."

"She's not my type." Mars just rolled her eyes in response, her gaze absently drifting back to the object of her affection practically covered in Adonis' drool.

"Ah, I see." Deimos smiled, his gaze following the direction in which his friend was looking. "It seems you already have you sights set on a different Venusian."

"I could sense there was some sexual tension between her and Adonis." Phobos laughed, seeing his friend become irritated immediately.

"I would rather die." Mars huffed, chugging down the rest of her wine.

"We're just pulling you leg." Phobos looked over at the raven haired girl. "Does she know how you feel?"

"I don't think it matters one way or another." Mars poured herself another drink, looking down into the liquid away from Venus. "It would never work out."

"I know you're used to being right and everything, but you might be wrong on this one." Deimos smiled, nodding his head in Venus' direction who seemed very irritated with the pretty boy.

"What's your problem?" Venus shrugged Adonis' arm off of her shoulder, glaring at her ex-lover.

"I don't have a problem." He smiled his fake innocent smile. "Why are you playing hard to get?" The blonde moved closer to her, invading her personal space.

"Hard to get? Adonis, I have absolutely no interest in crawling into your bed ever again." Venus scooted away from him.

"Doesn't mean I can't crawl into yours." He started leaning into the disgusted commander when Mars' arms suddenly came down between them, slamming his cup onto the table.

"Your drink." Mars glared down at him, regretting not slipping some poison into his cup.

"Took you long enough." The blonde man glared right back up at the Martian.

"Didn't know I had a time frame. I guess you'll just have to get your own next time." The archer replied with a fake smile on her face.

"There you are." Phobos smiled, interrupting Adonis before he could piss his friend off more. "I thought you were going to get drunk with us."

"I got distracted." The blonde glanced over to a frowning Venus.

"Well then I guess you have some catching up to do." Deimos purposely sat himself between Adonis and Venus, pushing the blonde next to her friend.

"Hey! Mars was supposed to sit there." Olithia pouted at her friend.

"I can move if you'd like." Venus looked up to Mars, locking eyes with the mysterious Martian, ignoring her slutty acquaintance.

"No, it's fine." Mars blushed, happy to find an escape from Olithia. "Phobos and I can sit across from you guys." A small smile graced Venus' face and Olithia slumped in her seat pouting like a child as Mars and Phobos took their seats across the table from the two girls.

Venus opened her mouth to speak to Mars, but was interrupted when the doors to the ballroom opened, revealing the queen and the older royal advisors from all of their planets. Everyone stood immediately, ignoring whatever conversation they were having. A smile graced the Queen's lips as she passed by the table of her sailor senshi's, heading to her throne. When she reached her destination she looked over at the crowd of people, a thoughtful look in her eyes.

"It lifts my heart to see everyone here together, laughing and having a good time despite whatever differences are between us. It's unfortunate this reunion couldn't happen under better circumstances, but in times like these we need to count our blessings no matter how big or how small. I'm sorry to interrupt the festivities, but I do believe we need to announce the guests of honor. Mars Rei and Venus Minako will you please step forward." Mars and Venus excused themselves from the table, glancing over at each other for the briefest of seconds, ignoring the jealous and hateful stares of two Venusians and the rest of the Martians. When they arrived in front of the Queen they kneeled in unison, looking to the ground. "Because of your acts of bravery this palace still stands and we sit here feasting. Venus will you do the honors?" The older woman smiled, holding out a finely made sword with a gold handle and a red ruby in the center to the commander.

The blonde nodded her head, standing up, and carefully grabbed the sword from her Queen. Minako turned around, looking down at the raven haired girl kneeling before her, a light blush forming on her face. _'I kind of like her like this. If only there were less people and less clothing involved.'_ Minako tried to shake the thought from her head as she stepped forward, lightly tapping the Martian on each shoulder. "Mars Rei, you not only saved my life, but the life of everyone in this castle. I do not know what darkness lays ahead, but I know we will be in good hands with you as second in command. You have certainly earned it." Mars looked up, locking eyes with those deep blue ones she found herself constantly drawn to.

"You may rise Martian." The Queen smiled, breaking the two girls from their intense stare. Mars rose to her feet slowly, coming face to face with her crush holding out the sword to her.

"Thank you." Mars blushed, carefully taking the sword from the blonde. "Your majesty." The archer bowed to the older woman respectfully. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." The Queen nodded her head as everyone applauded. "Now back to your festivities! We old geezers have much to discuss."

As the two girls made their way back to their table the Queen and the advisors made their way back to their chambers to discuss their course of action. Mars sat down across from Venus, Phobos proudly clapping her on the back as she picked up her wine.

"How wonderful." Olithia smiled, clapping her hands. "From what I saw you're quite the warrior. You definitely deserve it Rei-chan."

"Rei-chan?" Venus raised an eyebrow, taking a drink from her wine.

"I find the Martian culture so fascinating." The younger blonde sighed dreamily, resting her cheek on her fist.

"Since when?" Adonis rolled his eyes.

"Since always!" Olithia sat up straighter, glaring over at her friend.

"Well this is the first time I've ever heard you say this. I personally don't see what's so enthralling about Martians. A race that kills for fun, how barbaric." He shot back defiantly.

"We don't kill for fun." Mars shot back right away, glaring daggers at the ignorant man sitting in front of her. "We kill for peace, honor, and even love, but never for fun."

"Love?" Adonis laughed.

"Shut up Adonis!" Olithia glared over at the older man. "Is it true then?" The blonde turned her attention back to her newfound crush with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Is what true?" Mars raised a skeptical eyebrow, the flirtatious blonde was throwing her off.

"That once a Martian finds the one person they're supposed to be with they will stop at nothing to be with them, even going as far as killing who ever gets in their way?" Olithia smiled.

"Savages." Adonis scoffed into his drink. His little comment earned him a glare from every Martian at the table.

"That's not really it." Mars sent her wary glare in Adonis' direction before looking back at Olithia, blushing at the feeling of Venus' intense stare and obvious interest in the subject. "Once we find the one person we're supposed to be with we do everything we can to be with them, but if the feeling is not mutual we will let them go and probably die alone."

"And if the feeling is mutual we'll do everything in our power to protect them and kill who ever dares to try and hurt them or separate us. So we're not as savage as some may assume we are." Phobos jumped in, smiling cheekily at Adonis.

"That's even more romantic than I thought." Olithia sighed dreamily, making Mars uncomfortable with her dreamy gaze while Venus stared at her silently, mulling something over in her head, deep in thought.

"Well then tell me Martian . . . how many men or women would you kill to see your lover in your arms?" Adonis rolled his eyes.

"A hundred." Phobos said without a thought, smiling proudly.

"A thousand!" Deimos jumped in, raising his glass as the other Martians cheered.

"I would kill them all." Mars locked eyes with Venus, ignoring the seething Adonis sitting next to her friend. Venus' heart pounded in her chest, the deep look in Mars' dark eyes spoke volumes. She had the intense urge to lean forward and kiss the archer, but settled on a shy smile instead, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear self consciously as a light blush tinted her cheeks.

"Have you found the one yet Rei-chan?" Olithia leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands, batting her eyelashes at the Martian who was too occupied with another Venusian to notice.

"I don't know . . . I think I might have . . ." Mars watched Venus with great interest, her heart fluttering when she tucked a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"You don't know?" Adonis laughed. "How can you not know?"

"It's not always black and white when it comes to love." The Martian was growing weary of Adonis' constant insults, running an irritated hand through her long raven locks. "There are some gray areas."

"And what would a Martian really know about love?" He scoffed.

"That's enough Adonis." Venus slammed her fist on the table, glaring over at the tall blonde. "You've been nothing, but rude to the Martians since you arrived and they have been nothing but kind and accommodating despite our complicated past. Show some respect or else . . ."

"Don't act like you are in command of me Minako. You have no say over what I do." Adonis glared back defiantly at Venus.

"Don't talk to her that way." Mars clenched her fist under the table, trying to contain her anger.

"I'm not the defenseless man you attacked on the training grounds so I would watch how YOU talk to ME savage." Adonis stood up, placing his hands on the table, and leaning forward towards Mars, trying to intimidate the smaller woman. All of the Martians were quick to stand and draw their swords and the Venusians did the same, everyone waiting for the green light from their commander.

"Stand down." Mars said calmly, drinking the rest of her wine slowly before she stood up. "He seems to have an issue with me. There is no need for everyone else to get involved. I think we can settle this between us. Bring however many men you want to the training ground and let us settle this petty dispute once and for all."

"Mars, don't." Venus stood up while Makoto and Ami went to their feet as well, ready to stop any fight that might break out.

"I'll meet you there." Adonis sent one more glare towards the raven haired girl before going over to his best men.

"Don't worry. I won't kill them." Mars smiled reassuringly at the blonde before casually strolling towards the training grounds.

"Hey Mars, wait up!" Jupiter ran after her friend. "What are you doing? You don't need to fight them."

"Yes, I do. He seems to have something he wants to prove. It's better to settle this between us than start a bloody battle. I will keep my word. I'm not going to kill any of them . . . no matter how much I want to." Mars looked down then suddenly stopped in her steps. "Here, take this." Mars pulled out her sword, carefully handing it to the skeptical Jovian. "I don't want any temptation. I'll fight with a wooden sword."

"A wooden sword?" Jupiter sheathed the Martian's blade, keeping it close. "They're bringing steel to this fight Mars. I know you don't want to seriously injure anyone, but don't get yourself killed in the process."

"I know my friends will be close by if I need them." Mars smiled, grabbing Jupiter's shoulder reassuringly before she turned and opened the doors to the training grounds. It was pouring outside as Mars slowly stepped out onto the sand, grabbing a thick wooden training sword, letting out a slow breath to calm her racing heart.

"Adonis!" Venus stormed up to the blonde man who gathered five men, ready to leave the ballroom. "Stop this nonsense immediately! If you go through with this I will send word to my mother about your horrible display and you WILL be prosecuted when you return to our home planet."

"So you're going to go tattle on me to mommy?" He laughed while his men looked a little uneasy. "It looks like some things never change. The savage challenged me to a fight and she's going to get one." Adonis sheathed his sword as he brushed past the seething girl.

"How exciting!" Olithia ran up to her friend, grabbing her hands.

"There's nothing exciting about this." Venus pulled her hands away. "Adonis is going to get in serious trouble for this and I have half a mind to kick his ass myself." The blonde seethed, storming out after Adonis with Olithia in tow.

"I see you didn't run away like I thought you would." Adonis laughed, approaching Mars in the rain, her hair sticking a little to her face. "Where are your men Martian?"

"This is between you and me. I told you to bring as many men as you like to make it a fair fight." The raven haired girl smirked.

"And you plan to beat us with a stick?" Adonis couldn't stop the amused smile from forming on his face.

"Yes." Mars said softly and dangerously, standing at the ready with her training sword.

Adonis nodded his head and two of his men slowly stepped forward towards the Martian as the spectators came piling in around the outside watching with great interest. Venus bit her lower lip, clenching her fist, willing herself to stay on the sidelines.

Both men were very apprehensive as they slowly made their way to the eerily calm Martian, waiting for her to lash out at them. When she did nothing for a long enough amount of time they had decided they had enough and nodded at each other before they ran at the raven haired girl, striking in unison. Mars watched the cowardly men carefully and when she saw her small opening she rolled forward as they both struck down between their swords, popping up behind them. One went stumbling forward after she hit him hard with the wooden sword on the back of the head, knocking him out almost instantly. The other slashed backwards quickly, trying to catch her off guard, but she was much better trained.

Rei jumped back, the blade almost grazing her neck before she swung down, hitting the soldier's wrist hard. His hand opened on instinct and his sword fell onto the wet sand. Mars lifted up her sword to knock him out as well, but was kicked hard from behind, sending her stumbling onto her hands and knees. The other two men had decided to join the fight and were handing their still conscious friend his sword. Phobos and Deimos took a step forward, gritting their teeth at the Venusian's dirty tactics, but Mars held out one hand towards them, signaling for them to stand back. It took everything in Venus to not step forward and stab her sword through the cowardly soldier's stomach, but she knew they would get their just reward when they arrived home.

"It seems the Martian has finally learned her proper place before me." Adonis laughed. "On her knees." Venus felt disgusted as she heard some of her own people cheering while the Martians, Jovians, and Mecurians looked on with horror and disgust.

Mars slowly stood up, a fire in her orbs as she made eye contact with Adonis. All three of the men came running at her, swinging wildly without true aim. Mars deflected the first two hits, her wooden sword getting little chunks taken out of it. The third man swung down, but unfortunately for him his sword got caught in the thick wood of her weapon. He tried to yank his own weapon free, but was stuck for a second too long. Mars punched him hard, head butting him even harder, sending him falling back unconscious. Knowing their cowardly techniques now the archer quickly ducked when she felt the presence of someone behind her. She watched the blade swing horizontally over her head where her neck was supposed to be before she swept her leg behind her, knocking the other soldier onto his back. She stood and sent a quick kick across his face, knocking out another opponent. Just one man stood between her and Adonis now.

The last soldier came running at her in a crazy rage, swinging his sword down. Mars held up her wooden sword to stop him, but his blade was a little better built than the others and sliced right through. Mars rolled back before she could feel the sting of his blade, but he was persistent. He went running at her again, lifting his sword high, but she grabbed his wrists above his head, pushing back against him just as hard as he tried to bring his blade down. He was breathing hard in her face, her grip was loosening, and the sword was getting closer and closer. The raven haired girl brought her head back, head butting him hard in the nose, sending him stumbling back. She picked up her broken weapon and grabbed the soldier by the collar of his armor, looking pointedly over at Adonis as she brought her hand back with a horrifying look in her eyes that would make any man shake. She turned her attention back to the other man and sent the butt of her weapon crashing down onto his nose, breaking it on impact this time before she brought her tiny weapon back again, slamming it into his eye socket. She cocked her arm back one more time, slamming the wood even harder on his eye socket. The man dropped to the ground the second she let him go, the handle of her broken weapon was bloody as well as her hand now. She turned her attention back to Adonis, dropping the weapon onto the ground, and picking up one of the fallen blades. Venus' breath hitched in her throat as she watched her crush slowly make her way to the blonde man. _'She's going to kill him.'_

 _"_ It's just you and me now." Mars smiled wickedly, the rain making the bright red blood trail down her forearm and drip down the steel of her blade.

Adonis' blue eyes no longer held humor in them as he narrowed them at the girl who was becoming a pest to him. "I guess if you want something done right you need to do it yourself."

Mars dropped her guard, tilting her head up towards the sky, closing her eyes, finding serenity in the beating of the raindrops on her skin. She smiled when she felt Adonis running at her while her guard was down like the coward he is. The raven haired girl opened her eyes just in time to see the blonde swinging down diagonally towards her right arm and was quick to deflect his blade. He let out an irritated growl, thrusting forward to stab her in her stomach, but the Martian was too fast for him, jumping to the side. Using his forward momentum against him Mars kicked him in his ass, sending him tumbling onto the wet sand face first.

"It seems the Venusian has finally learned his proper place in front of me." The raven haired girl smirked and walked away from the blonde, her back to him, but Adonis would not give up so easily. Mars was ready when he came charging at her from behind, jumping up and pushing off one wall with her right foot, then pushing off the other wall higher up with her left foot. She gracefully turned in the air, landing behind the charging man, bringing down her sword, leaving only a cut on the back of his neck as a cheeky reminder that she could have beheaded him. She felt Venus' eyes on her and turned to see a small smile on her face for she knew that move. It was the same one she used on her when they first fought.

Adonis felt his blood boiling, touching the back of his neck to feel the little bit of blood that drizzled out. He turned to see Mars looking at the object of his affection and used the distraction to his advantage. When Mars turned her attention back to him she was surprised with a blade swinging towards her face. She jumped back, but was too slow to escape unscathed, a line of blood drizzling down her cheek bone. Venus gasped and Adonis smirked as Mars slowly brought her free hand up to her face, touching the trickle of blood, and putting her hand in front of her eyes to make sure she was not mistaken. His cheap move was the straw that broke the Martian's back. Her Martian pride got the best of her and she threw down her sword so the handle stuck up in the stand, causing everyone to stare in confusion. She stalked towards the blonde man with no armor, no weapon, only a murderous glare.

Adonis looked just as confused as everyone else, but wasn't going to question his good fortune. He swung horizontally, but Mars dropped down, easily avoiding his blade, and punched him hard in the ribs. He bent a little to the side in pain, but continued his assault, swinging diagonally with his back hand. Mars tucked and rolled, popping up next to him punching him three times again in his other ribs in fast succession. The blonde swung his sword again, but Mars grabbed his wrist, halting his motion and punching him hard in the face. He swung his free hand at her, but she already rolled back and grabbed her sword, jumping back up. He went running at her like an enraged bull, aiming to tackle her onto her back, and stab her in the chest. Mars readied herself and just when Adonis thought he was going to tackle her she moved out of the way and slammed his head into the wall behind her. He dropped to his knees in pain, gripping his head, and forgetting where he was.

When his senses came back to him and he started to reach for his sword Mars was already there, kicking his blade to the side. She gripped his hair, pulling his head back, and held her sword to his throat. She held her sword there, the sharp blade barely putting pressure against his skin, breathing hard, urging herself to calm down and not kill him. Mars looked up when she heard applause and then some Venusians started chanting "kill, kill, kill, kill." The raven haired girl slowly looked across the crowd until her eyes landed on two blue ones that always caught her attention. Venus shook her head and Mars looked down at the man glaring defiantly up at her. The archer returned his gaze with just as much hate before shoving him face first into the sand.

Mars threw her sword down next to the surprised blonde, taking one last glance at the applauding people, then back at Adonis. "And you call us fucking savages."

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 **AN: Well there it is folks. I know I've been doing a lot more silmil writing in these last chapters, but there will be a lot more modern times in the chapters coming up :) As always, I love hearing your thoughts so leave a review :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Thanks for all of the awesome reviews, it's always nice to get some feedback :) This chapter was pretty much inspired by the song Angel (Massive Attack Cover) by Sepultura. I definitely recommend checking it out, should be super easy to find on youtube :) Anyways, hope you enjoy the chapter!  
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 **Chapter 11: Angel**

Once Minako was out of sight Rei walked up the steps of the shrine, encountering her friends.

"We'll see you tonight Rei-chan!" Usagi smiled, hugging her frowning friend.

"Alright." The miko disentangled herself form the hyper blonde, trying to control her temper. "Bye guys." The girls watched their friend ascending the steps in confusion. She looked like she was on the war path.

Once inside her house Rei slammed the door behind her, glaring at her girlfriend casually lounging on her sofa reading a european fashion magazine. "What's your problem?"

"What do you mean Reiko?" Lucy looked up from her magazine confused.

"You went through my phone, texted all of my friends, then proceeded to pick on Minako. You had absolutely no right to do any of that." Rei crossed her arms, glaring daggers at the pink haired girl.

"It was to surprise you and that Minako girl is too sensitive." Lucy rolled her eyes, licking her finger, and flipping another page in her magazine.

"No she's not. You were out of line." The pissed off miko stormed up to her girlfriend, took the magazine from her hands, and tossed it off to the side. "And don't sit there and act so casual about this. You. Fucked. Up."

"Why do you care so much about her anyways!?" Lucy finally snapped, standing up, getting in the Martian's face. "Do you like her or something!?"

"I don't -"

"Because she definitely has a thing for you!" Lucy interrupted Rei, getting more and more fired up too. "I see the way she looks at you. You're MY fucking girlfriend, not hers!"

"That's crazy! And don't try to act like you own me!" Rei clenched her fist.

"I'm not crazy Rei! And I'm not blind either! I see the way you look at her too." Lucy's bright pink eyes pierced Rei's dark orbs, challenging her to say otherwise.

"I didn't call you crazy." Rei rolled her eyes, stepping back from Lucy. "And I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Bullshit." Lucy glared at Rei one more time before brushing past her, pausing at her front door to look over her shoulder. "You need to get your priorities straight." And with that Lucy slammed the door behind her harder than Rei had when she came in.

"Ugh!" Rei threw the girl's magazine at the slammed front door before storming off in the opposite direction. _'Maybe I can find some comfort in the flames.'_

 _-Flashback-_

Venus watched as Mars threw her sword down, just as disgusted with everyone else's behavior as Mars was. She glared down at Adonis who looked completely humiliated and pissed, gripping the sand tightly. As the Martian turned to walk away he quickly grabbed the sword lying beside him on the ground and stood up. He pulled his arm back, ready to send the sword hurling at the raven haired girl's back, but Venus responded quickly, sending her love me chain flying in his direction. The gold chain wrapped around his wrist that held his weapon, halting him in motion. With a sharp tug she sent him flying backwards, landing on the wet sand again, looking up at the weeping sky. He went to stand up, but was greeted with Venus' heel on his neck, keeping him firmly in place.

"That's enough Adonis." The commander glared down at him with Makoto and Ami stepping up to her side bearing their weapons. "You're going to have a lot to answer for when you go back home tomorrow. That is . . ." She leaned forward, smiling wickedly. "if the Queen here decides to let you live after attacking one of her sailor senshi."

Mars heard a commotion and glanced behind her shoulder to see Adonis lying on his back with Minako's heel firmly pressed into his throat. She had half a mind to go back and finish the job, but stopped herself, letting out a slow sigh. She headed back to her room, her heart still racing from the adrenaline, avoiding eye contact with anyone who passed her by. _'Now they all probably think I really am the savage they've made me out to be . . .'_

The raven haired girl walked into her room, quietly closing the door behind her, heading over to her mirror to check out the cut on her cheek. She looked into the mirror, glaring at the slash on her skin, and then looked into her own eyes, leaning forward to better see the monster everyone thought her to be.

"That was quite the display."

Mars turned around quickly, surprised that there was someone in her room without her knowledge. She was usually keen to pick up on such things. Her eyes widened when she saw Olithia on the edge of her bed, lying back on her elbows in what she assumed was supposed to be a seductive pose.

"How did you get in here?" Mars tried to remain calm, feeling more uneasy here than she did moments before on the training grounds.

"It's not like you leave your door locked." Olithia giggled, standing up, slowly starting to head over to the frazzled Martian.

"I uh . . . suppose not." Mars took a step back every time the blonde took a step forward until her butt made contact with the dresser behind her. "What are you doing here?"

Olithia smiled wickedly, getting closer to her prey until she was just inches in front of her face, placing both hands on either side of Mars on her dresser, effectively trapping her there. "You know why I'm here." The blonde ran her finger down Mars' cheek bone, drawing a line down to her chin.

Mars' eyes widened when Olithia started to lean in to kiss her, quickly ducking under her arm and getting behind her. "O-Olithia . . . wait a minute . . ." The raven haired girl held up her hands defensively, slowly backing up again when Olithia turned around still smiling, heading in her direction undeterred.

"I have to leave tomorrow. This may be our only chance." The blonde pushed the blushing Martian backwards onto her own bed.

"You don't even know me. We literally just met." Mars sat up, looking up at the smiling Venusian.

"What can I say Rei? I know what I want when I see it." Olithia bit her lower lip, unclasping the hook on her dress. The white fabric dropped down and pooled at the blonde's feet, leaving her in only her pink lingerie.

"I . . . Um . . ." Mars stuttered as Olithia slowly pushed her back down, crawling on top of her. Mars kept scooting back, but the blonde just followed suit, crawling over her the whole way until her back was pressed against the headboard. "We can't-"

"Let's not talk anymore." Olithia pressed a finger to the Martian's lips, only removing it to slowly lean down to kiss her.

After throwing Adonis back into his chambers Venus looked around for her raven haired crush, but didn't see her anywhere. _'She probably went to her room. I can't blame her for wanting to get away from everything, but even so I need to talk to her."_ Venus bit her lower lip, making a beeline for Mars' room. _'I need to tell her I'm sorry. This wasn't how this visit was supposed to go. She wasn't supposed to be treated like that. She wasn't supposed to be-"_ The blonde opened the door to Mars' room without a thought. _'fucking Olithia!'_ Venus walked in to see her childhood friend in nothing but her pink lingerie on top of her crush about to lock lips.

"Venus!" Mars' head snapped in her direction. Venus stood there speechless, trying not to form her love me chain, and yank Olithia off of Mars in her jealous rage.

"Uh Minako have you ever heard of knocking?" Olithia sat up, her bra strap falling off of her shoulder as she glared over at her friend. "We're kind of in the middle of something."

"No we aren't." Mars slipped out from underneath the predatory blonde. "This isn't-"

"Olithia I need to speak with Mars." Venus did her best to keep a calm demeanor.

"Okay. Knock yourself out." Olithia smiled, coming up behind Mars, wrapping her arms around the archer's waist.

Venus literally bit her tongue, forcing herself not to snap at Olithia. "Alone."

"Anything you need to say to Rei you can say in front of me. Right Rei-chan?" The blonde smiled.

"No, I better go with her." Mars carefully disentangled herself from Olithia.

"Official sailor senshi business." Venus smiled a fake smile at her friend while Mars made a hasty retreat for the door.

"Fine." Olithia huffed, sitting back on the Martian's bed. "But Rei . . ." Mars stopped in her steps, gulping uneasily as she turned around to face the girl who scared her more than any monster. "Hurry back. I'll be waiting." The blonde smiled and winked, causing both Venus and Mars to almost gag.

Mars was the first to exit the room while Venus tried not to slam the door behind her, walking at a fast pace. For once Mars was trying to keep up with her commander who refused to even look at her.

"Venus I -"

"Not here." The blonde cut her off with a scowl, her eyes set on the path in front of her.

Mars opened her mouth to speak, but closed it when she saw the look on her commanders's face. They rounded a corner and Mars became even more confused when they entered Venus' room. The blonde closed the door behind her, pacing for a minute, still not looking at Mars.

"What did you need to speak with me about?" Mars fidgeted nervously, waiting for whatever the blonde had in store for her.

Venus stopped her pacing, looking over at Mars with a hard expression in her blue eyes. "As second in command you shouldn't be sleeping with delegates."

"Olithia is not a delegate and it wasn't what it looked like. I have no interest -"

"And you shouldn't be talking back to your commander either." Venus snapped back, cutting off the confused Martian.

"Is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" Mars chose to ignore Venus' aggressive tone, trying to remain calm.

"No. I came to apologize for Adonis' actions and to see if you were alright, but found you in bed with Olithia instead." Venus clenched her fists, glaring at Mars.

"I told you that it's not what it looked like!" The archer finally snapped. "I went to my room to be alone and she practically attacked me!"

"Oh so you can fight off six soldiers, but you can't fight off one girl?" The blonde shot back, her rage coming to a boiling point.

"What did you want me to do? Stab her!?" Mars threw up her hands.

"Yes! I mean . . . no." Venus looked off to the side, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

"I've had it up to here with you Venusians! I should have stayed on fucking Mars!" The raven haired girl started to turn to leave, but Venus was quick to push Mars against the wall with her hands on her shoulders to keep the fleeing girl in place.

"Venus, let me go." Mars gritted her teeth.

"No." The blonde said softly, her head was bent down a little so her golden bangs were covering her eyes. "You can't leave . . . or sleep with Olithia or anyone else, because . . ." Mars looked confused, her heart pounding in her chest as Venus slowly lifted her gaze to meet hers, tears threatening to fall from her blue eyes. "you're supposed to be with me."

Mars stood there stupidly; the blonde's words hit her like a ton of bricks. "Venus . . ."

Venus leaned forward, pressing her full lips against the Martians before she could say anything else. Mars stood there, too shocked to respond at first, but let her desires finally take over as she leaned into the kiss. Venus let go of Mars' shoulders, choosing to bury her hands in her long raven strands instead as she started to move her lips slowly against those soft ones she had been thinking about day and night. Mars responded by wrapping her arms around Venus' petite waist, pulling her body as close to hers as possible as their lips moved together in perfect unison.

Mars' brow knit together amidst their kiss and she suddenly pulled back from the blonde's wanting lips. "Wait . . ." The raven haired girls breath came out hard and heavy as she tried to pull herself together. "Should the commander of the guard and her second in command be doing . . . this?"

"No . . . we should not." Venus replied breathlessly, looking deeply into Mars' eyes before leaning in to capture her lips in a searing kiss. Both girls threw caution to the wind, kissing harder and deeper than before. Venus bit down on Mars' lower lip, tugging just hard enough for a satisfied sound to escape the archer's mouth before she attacked it again.

Frantic hands grabbed at the hem of Venus' shirt, starting to tug it up, forcing the two to separate just long enough to get it over her head and for the Martian to follow suit. The second the offending clothing hit the ground Venus pushed Mars back against the wall roughly, kissing her deeply, and pushing her mostly naked torso against the Martians'. Mars gripped her lovers hips, squeezing them tightly as the intoxicating feeling of skin on skin started to put her in a dreamy haze.

Venus slowly ran her fingertips down the valley of Rei's breasts, down to her abs, and then settled on running them along the waist band of her underwear while Mars busied herself with kissing the blonde's neck, sucking on the skin every now and then to gain a moan from Minako's perfect mouth. A devious smile formed on the blonde's lips as Mars' breath hitched in her throat when she felt Venus' hand dip into her underwear only for her to pull her hand out. Mars let out an irritated growl, but her irritation was replaced with confusion when Venus grabbed her by the throat, and pulled away.

"You swear nothing happened with Olithia?" Venus raised an eyebrow at the now incredibly aroused Martian. This was a side of Venus Mars had never seen before.

"I swear." Rei smiled with Venus' hand wrapped around her throat.

"Good, because you're fucking mine." Minako moved her hand to the back of her Martian's neck, pulling her back in to her lips.

Mars put her hands on the small of Venus' exposed back, bringing her body against hers in desperate need while her hands slipped lower to unclasp the blonde's skirt. Minako smiled against the Martians' lips, starting to step out of her fallen skirt, but Mars had other plans in mind as she picked her up by the back of her thighs, walking over to her dresser. Mars half-hazardously placed the blonde on the dresser, knocking off whatever trinkets she had laying about crashing onto the floor while Venus unclasped her lovers skirt, leaving Rei in only her black bra and panties and Venus in her red lingerie.

Rei pulled back for a second to appreciate the goddess sitting before her. "Red looks good on you." She smirked.

"It looks even better on the floor." Venus bit her lower lip, unclasping her bra and dropping it onto the ground.

Mars stood in awe for a second, gazing at her lover's perfect breasts, not too small and not too big. Her eyes traveled down to her perfect curves and hardened stomach from all of their training. Venus opened her mouth to say something smart, but Mars pounced on her, unable to restrain herself anymore. She kissed Venus with fever, gripping her hips and pulling them against her own while she turned her assault back onto her neck. She bit down on the delicate skin, kissing it afterwards as she slid one hand up Venus' inner thigh, her hands shaking in anticipation. Venus gripped the Martian's ass, bucking her hips forward a bit to encourage her lover to keep going.

Venus bit her earlobe lightly, tugging on it with her perfect teeth. "Don't you dare fucking stop."

Mars' body reacted before her mouth could, sliding the blonde's red panties to the side, and pushing two fingers into her quickly. A delicious moan escaped the blonde's mouth as the archer pushed her fingers in and out of her at a fast and rough pace. Venus gripped her lover's ass tightly, keeping her as close as possible to feel the heat of Mars consume her. Her nails dug into the Martian's hot flesh, dragging them up her back hard, leaving long red trails until her fingers found themselves wrapped around the back of her neck.

The blonde's rough hands just turned Mars on even more as she pushed her fingers into her lover harder and faster. Mars pulled back, not slowing her motions or stopping at all to get a good look at the blonde writhing on her dresser. She licked her lips, gripping the back of her golden locks, tugging back roughly so her neck and chest were more exposed. The archer leaned in, kissing the front of Venus' neck, then traveled down to her chest, taking one nipple in her mouth, massaging it with her tongue as she pushed her thumb against her clit.

"Fuck." Venus let out a breathy moan, her senses on overload at everything Mars was doing to her. She had had many lovers, but Mars had already topped the list.

Hearing the blonde talk like that was the most beautiful thing Mars had ever heard as she grazed her teeth along Venus' erect nipple, eliciting another moan from her lover. Mars pulled away just to capture her lips in a slow hot kiss, running her tongue along her lower lip, begging for entrance which Venus was all to happy to grant. Their tongues battled as Mars started to rub her clit a little harder and faster, her fingers working hard to find Venus' g-spot deep inside of her. A smile formed on her face when Venus' hips bucked on their own accord and the blonde moaned into her mouth. She found it. More things clashed down loudly onto the ground as Mars pushed her fingers in harder, hitting the perfect spot over and over again, making the dresser move in protest of her rough actions.

Venus pulled away, biting down on her lower lip to try to stop the moans from escaping her mouth, but found the task impossible due to the relentless Martian. "R-Rei I'm getting close . . ." She moaned out, gripping the edge of the dresser tightly, digging her nails into the wood as her blue eyes started to cloud over.

Mars smirked in response, kissing the underside of the blonde's jawline as she pushed in harder, her thumb moving faster, and just when she felt the blonde was about to cum she unexpectedly pulled away, sliding her fingers out of her.

"W-what the fuck!?" Minako shot up, her sexual frustration taking control. "Why did you stop? When someone says they're close you keep going!"

The blonde was silenced by Mars' lips, pushing firmly against her own. As she started to give in to the kiss again the Martian pulled away smirking. "I'm not done with you yet."

"And I haven't even started with you." Minako stood up, pulling Mars into a searing kiss, unclasping her lovers bra. Once she got the offending object off of the archer she shoved her backwards, sending Mars stumbling backwards onto her bed. Mars sat up on her elbows, her legs hanging off the edge of the blonde's bed, watching the Venusian with great interest.

Venus made her way in front of her lover, stopping a foot away to slowly slide her panties down her legs while Mars watched, practically drooling all over her bed. The blonde dropped to her knees, gently prying Mars' toned legs apart, kissing the inside of her thigh as she slowly slid her hands up the tops of her thighs. When she reached her black panties she gripped the sides, sliding them down her legs until her lover was completely exposed.

Mars' breath started coming out ragged as Venus kissed her way up her inner thigh painstakingly slow, biting her skin lightly when she almost reached her destination. Mars opened her mouth to say something, but the words died in her mouth when Venus leaned forward, running her tongue up her lover's slit slowly before she started to massage the archer's clit with her tongue at an agonizing pace. She was going to make the Martian pay for teasing her.

Venus ran her hand up her lovers tight stomach, indulging in the feeling of Mars' muscles flexing beneath her touch while she pleasured her. She kept her pace slow, rubbing her tongue against Mars' clit as she dragged her nails back down the archer's stomach. Mars moaned, feeling herself become impossibly more aroused and frustrated at the blonde's actions.

"Minako . . ." Mars moaned out, arching her back when the blonde flicked her tongue just right.

"Yes Reiko?" Venus smiled, pulling back, frustrating the raven haired girl even more.

"You're-"

"Frustrating you?" The blonde grinned, crawling up to kiss Mars' stomach slowly.

"Mmhmm." Mars hummed her reply, looking down at Venus.

"Do you want more?" Venus continued to tease her, kissing up to her ribs.

"You know damn well -" Mars sat up, but Venus shoved her back down, straddling her waist.

"Ah-ah, temper temper." The blonde grinned, keeping her hand firmly on her lovers chest to keep her in place while Mars glared up at her. "Now scoot back and hold your hands above your head."

Mars was surprisingly complacent as she moved back until her head was resting on the blonde's pillows. Venus followed suit, straddling her hips once again as she leaned down and kissed the fire senshi slowly and sensually. Venus pulled away, sitting up on top of Mars with a devious look in her eyes. "Hands."

Mars responded by slowly running her hands up the blonde's thighs, stopping just beneath her hips to give them a squeeze, massaging her inner thigh with her thumb.

"Mmm Reiko, you know what I meant." Venus bit her lower lip, trying not to give into the girl beneath her.

"I don't think I understand." Mars grinned, looking up at the goddess before her. "You'll have to remind me what it is you want again."

"Hands above your . . . um. . ." Minako tried to focus on the task at hand, but was finding it difficult with Mars' hands creeping towards her inner thighs. Mars smiled and before Venus could register what the girl was up to it was too late. Mars grabbed Venus' ass, pulling her forwards surprisingly quick so she was now straddling the Martian's face. Venus opened her mouth to protest, but all thoughts of protest died when Mars leaned up a little, massaging the blonde's clit with her tongue while she kept a tight grip on her ass.

"F-fuck Rei . . ." Venus placed one hand on the wall in front of her to support herself while the other found itself tangled in Mars' dark locks again. Her hips moved on their own accord, adding extra friction to the already amazing feeling. While Minako supported herself on shaky knees Mars used a free hand and pushed two fingers into her lover, moving her tongue and fingers slowly at first, but hearing Minako's shaky breaths was all Mars needed to spur her on as she started moving her tongue harder and faster against Venus' throbbing bundle of nerves, pushing her fingers in deeper to hit the same spot she found earlier. Venus gripped Mars' raven hair even tighter, a loud moan escaping her mouth as her lover continued her assault she started earlier, touching her everywhere she needed to be touched.

Sweat started to form on the blonde's brow as Mars continued to pick up the speed, her nails scraping down the gold and white paint while Mars moaned against her skin, licking harder, loving the taste of her goddess. Minako bit down on her lower lip, her hips moving in time with the sex god beneath her, putting both hands on the wall for support. Her orgasm was building a lot faster than last time and she prayed to the gods Mars didn't stop this time, moaning loudly when Mars rubbed her tongue on the perfect spot.

"R-Rei, I'm gonna . . ." Venus tried to get the whole sentence out, but her orgasm hit her sooner than she thought when Mars added a third finger. "Fuck!" Minako screamed out, slapping the wall as her vision became cloudy, and her whole body started to shake. All of the built up pressure was finally being released, it felt so good her body could barely stand it.

Mars knew what was happening and felt the blonde above her starting to shake, her legs starting to give out on her so she quickly turned her body and flipped them so Minako was now lying on her back while the Martian devoured her prey. Minako moaned out, arching her back while her orgasm continued to ride out due to the relentless Martian, rubbing her tongue against her clit roughly while she pushed her fingers into her, hitting her g-spot over and over again.

Venus was in heaven for a good minute before her body relaxed, her chest heaving as Mars slowed down, giving her clit one last slow lick before she pulled away and sat up, licking her lips. Mars laid down next to her breathless lover who seemed like she was still in a daze, staring at the ceiling.

"That was . . ." Venus trailed off, unable to find the words to describe what just happened.

"Yeah." Mars smiled in understanding while the blonde turned onto her stomach, resting her head on Mars' chest. "Where did you get the name Reiko?" Mars asked as she absently trailed her fingers up and down Minako's back.

"I don't know." Venus smiled, indulging in the feeling of Rei's surprisingly gentle touch. "It just kind of . . . came out. Do you not like it?" A worried expression crossed her face as she sat sat up on her elbows, looking down at the archer who just laughed and shook her head.

"It's just . . . nobody has ever called me that before. I like it." Rei leaned up, kissing Venus soundly, erasing all fear and doubt from her mind before she pulled away, tucking a stray strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"You know . . ." Venus looked down for a moment, deep in thought before her eyes locked with Rei's dark ones. "We could get in a lot of trouble for what we just did. If you don't want to -"

"The risk is worth it." Mars cut her off and for a second Minako got lost in those eyes that held galaxies, constellations, pure determination, and right now a look she seldom saw except for when she caught her staring. "You're worth it." Mars gently grabbed the blonde's hand, kissing her knuckles. "Worth killing for." She kissed the inside of the blonde's palm. "Worth dying for." Mars reached up, placing her hand on the back of Minako's neck, starting to lean up. "Worth going to Hell for." The raven haired girl leaned up the rest of the way, sealing her promise with a kiss. When she pulled away Venus laid there speechless, her heart fluttering at the way Mars looked at her and the depth of her words.

"Do you not think this is . . . worth it?" Mars knit her brow in confusion, the blonde's silence making her uneasy.

Minako responded by placing both hands on Mars' face, leaning down, and kissing her deeply and slowly. She smiled against her lovers lips before pulling away, running her fingers through Rei's long black hair. "Of course I think this is worth it. I just didn't know you feel that way."

Rei just smiled in response, running the back of her fingers down the blonde's arm when something caught Minako's eye. "What's this?" Venus gently grabbed her lovers hand, observing her wrist to find the outline of her love me chain embedded in her skin.

"That first day when we sparred your chain left a mark." Mars stared at the mark she had grown rather fond of. "I guess I've been yours ever since." A small smile formed on the archers face as she looked back up at Venus.

Minako leaned in, kissing her secret lover again as she straddled her waist and pinned her hands above her head. She pulled back, looking down at Mars. "I've been yours ever since you first stepped out of that shuttle and glared at me." She smiled. "You wouldn't follow any orders and you still seem to have trouble doing so, because I believe I told you to place your hands above your head." Minako leaned over the excited Martian, grabbing silk fabric, and tied Mars' hands above her head. "I guess I'll just have to teach you a lesson."

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 **AN: Well there's chapter 11 in all of its smutty glory :) I know this chapter was pretty much all silmil, but there probably won't be as many and as lengthy flashbacks from now on. As usual, let me know what you think :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Sorry for the super late update and thanks for all of the amazing reviews. Kudos to those of you who caught the similarities between chapter 11 and chapter 1. I was hoping you would catch that :) The chapter is a lot longer than my usual ones so hopefully I didn't muck it up. The songs I use in this chapter are "Skyfall" by Adele and "Emperor's New Clothes" by Panic at the Disco. I hope you guys enjoy the long chapter :)  
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 **Chapter 12: Emperor's New Clothes**

Rei snapped out of her vision, her breathing ragged, and her heart pounding. She could still feel Minako's lips on her skin, the warmth of her touch, and could still taste the blonde on her lips. The flames didn't help at all, she just felt more confused than ever. She was with Lucy, but her heart longed for Minako. _'What do I do . . .? Do I just break it off with Lucy? Tell Minako how I feel . . .? No, she would just run away again. Things aren't like they were back then. But . . ."_

"There you are!" Lucy's voice suddenly broke Rei from her thoughts, making the miko jump as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Rei stood up, trying to hide the blush from her face, and clear the thoughts of her rigorous night with Minako.

"Ummm . . the party remember? It started thirty minutes ago." Lucy crossed her arms and it took the pink haired girl saying that for Rei to realize her girlfriend was already dressed in her black and pink dress with a black mask in her hands.

"It's been that long . . ." Rei said absently to herself, rubbing the back of her head. _'I must have been meditating a lot longer than I thought I was.'_

"And . . . I also wanted to say sorry." Lucy looked off to the side, biting her lower lip. "I reacted badly before. I just get jealous easily and I can tell that that Minako girl wants you."

"She doesn't want me." Rei sighed, rubbing her temples. _'If she wanted me she could have had me, but . . .'_

"She does. I can see it when she looks at you, but I know you would never do anything to hurt me. I can't promise to be nice to her when she gets all goo goo eyed, but I'll . . . I'll try I guess." Lucy stepped forward, grabbing the miko's hands in her own.

"Lucy . . ."

"Please, let's not fight anymore. I just want to have fun with you tonight." Lucy leaned in and kissed Rei, not noticing her girlfriend flinching at her touch. "Now go get ready! We're pushing the fashionably late thing." Lucy smiled, pulling away from Rei.

"Yeah, okay." Rei nodded dumbly before she headed back into the shrine to get in her dress.

When the two girls arrived at the party Rei stood at the top of the stairs, looking for those familiar golden locks behind her black and red mask. She wore a tight red and black dress that stopped mid thigh with red heals much like the outfit she wore on the moon. The raven haired girl let out a sad sigh when she couldn't find the girl in the crowd, descending the steps with Lucy.

"Oh, there are your friends babe." Lucy smiled, leading Rei over to where Usagi, Makoto, and Ami stood nursing some champagne.

"Hey guys." Rei walked up to her friends. frowning when she saw Minako was missing. _'Wonder if she's hanging out with that Jake douche.'_

"Hey there Rei." Makoto smiled, wearing a blue and green dress with a peacock looking mask.

"Rei-chan you're late!" Usagi put her hands on her hips as if she was scolding a child.

"That's rich coming from you dumpling head." Rei rolled her eyes, walking to the bar to grab a glass of champagne.

"What's that Rei-chan!? I can't hear you over the sound of you cowering away!" Usagi yelled after Rei who just turned her head and stuck her tongue out at her princess in response.

"Get me a drink too Reiko!" Lucy smiled and Rei immediately retracted her tongue back into her mouth, grumbling while she went to go get the drinks.

 _-Flashback-_

Venus yawned as she slowly woke from what she thought to be the best dream she had ever had, stretching her arms above her head only to feel an arm wrap around her waist. A smile formed on her face when she found the arm belonged to a still slumbering and very naked Mars. Her smile widened when she realized that her night with Mars wasn't a dream, but was in fact real. She ran her fingers through the Martian's raven locks, causing the archer to stir in her sleep, her dark eyes slowly opening to be greeted by a very happy and satisfied Venusian.

"Morning." Venus bit her lower lip, looking down at her lover.

"Mmm morning." Mars hummed, closing her eyes and taking in the feeling of Venus' gentle touch.

"So . . . last night . . ." Venus blushed as Mars opened her eyes again to gaze up at the blonde.

"Was it that bad?" Mars raised an eyebrow as she sat up to lean against Venus' headboard.

"No! I woke up this morning and I just . . . I thought it was a dream." Venus sat up next to Mars, grabbing her hand.

"So it was that good huh?" Mars grinned, looking over at her lover.

"You're so full of yourself." Venus laughed, pushing the raven haired girl hard enough to make her fall off of the bed with a loud thud. Mars glared up at the ceiling until Venus' head poked out from the side of the bed, blocking her view, giggling at the pouting archer. "I thought Martian's always land on their feet."

"Cats. You're thinking of cats." Mars directed her glare at her laughing lover.

"I'm sorry Reiko, I didn't think you would fall off the bed." Venus smiled, holding her hand out to Mars.

Mars glared at her hand before she took it, yanking the blonde down on top of her, causing the blonde to let out a surprised gasp. "We're even now." Mars smirked at the flustered Venusian before leaning up to capture Venus' lips in a slow deep kiss.

Venus' heart pounded in her chest, her body reacting immediately to the skin on skin contact and the archer's soft lips. She gripped Mars' dark hair, tugging hard and keeping a tight grip on her silky locks as she pulled back, looking down at her lover through clouded blue eyes. "I thought Venusians were supposed to be the sex gods."

"And I thought Martians were supposed to be the rough ones." Mars tried to lean up, but Venus had a tight grip on her hair; her rough treatment just turned the archer on more.

"You make me feel like every single part of me is on fire . . ." Venus looked down thoughtfully at her lover with an unreadable expression in her eyes. "And the scary part is . . ." Venus slowly leaned forward, stopping just a breath away from Mars' wanting lips. Mars' breath hitched in her throat as she felt the air around her shift and goosebumps run up her arms. A small smile tugged on just the corner of Venus' mouth as the Martian's breath became uneven, and she laid there hanging on every word she said. "I want to burn." Venus closed the tiny gap between their lips, locking Mars in a deep and urgent kiss.

Mars' heart pounded in her chest as she grabbed the back of Venus' head, deepening the kiss, and pulling her impossibly closer. Venus let out a soft moan as she lightly gripped her lover's breast, running her thumb over Mars' already erect nipple. The blonde bit down on Mars' lower lip, running her hand down her hard stomach, and then over to her hip, gripping it tightly as her hips started moving on their own accord again. Venus kissed her way to Mars' neck, sucking on it as her hand slowly started to make it's way between her lover's legs when the door to her room suddenly opened.

"Venus?" Came Makoto's confused voice.

"Y-yeah?" Venus sat up, covering her chest, and looking over at Makoto from the other side of the bed. She thanked her lucky stars that the two ended up on the floor behind her bed and not in front of the doorway so Mars was well hidden.

"What are you doing on the floor?" Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"I um . . ." Venus glanced down at a still very turned on Mars, before turning her attention back to her subordinate. "I fell off of the bed when you came in. You startled me. Haven't you heard of knocking?"

"Sorry." Makoto blushed, averting her gaze while Mars slowly ran her hands up Venus' thighs. The blonde's face turned a brighter red, her breathing becoming uneven, unable to knock away Mars' wandering hands seeing as her own were busy covering her breasts.

"Wh-What did you need?" Venus tried to focus while Mars' hands slid to the inside of her thighs.

"The Queen wants us to report to her immediately. I've been trying to find Mars, but I can't find her." Makoto rubbed the back of her head.

"Oh, well let me get dressed and I'll meet you guys there. I'm sure Mars is hiding around here somewhere." Venus glanced back down at the grinning Martian whose hands were getting dangerously close to where she needed her the most.

"Alright, I'll see you there. Sorry for barging in." Makoto hastily retreated without so much as looking at her commander.

"Reiko." Venus hissed, finally gripping the archer's hands before they got too far.

"You want me to stop?" Mars raised an eyebrow.

"God no . . ." Venus bit her lower lip, wondering if the Queen would miss their presence, but let out a sad sigh when she remembered they have responsibilities. "But we have to go and if we take too long people will become suspicious."

"Ugh . . " Mars let out an irritated sound and let Venus go. "You're right." The archer sighed as they both started to get up.

Both girls started to get dressed as fast as they could, rushing around to find all of their discarded clothing that was scattered around the room. Once they were dressed both girls checked the mirror, brushing out their hair, and fixing up their clothing to make themselves look somewhat presentable. When they were satisfied Mars rushed to the door to leave, but was stopped by Venus grabbing her arm. She raised her eyebrow, turning around to face the blonde only to be met with a slow deep kiss.

"I won't be able to do that for a while." Venus smiled as she pulled away, tucking some of her golden hair behind her ear. "And you should let me go first so I can make sure the coast is clear. It wouldn't be good if someone saw you leaving my chambers."

Mars leaned forward, kissing the blonde one more time before stepping to the side with a smile. "I'm ready when you are."

Venus nodded her head, casually stepping out of her room, leaving the door slightly ajar for Mars while she looked left and right to make sure there was no one around. Once she deemed it safe for Mars to exit she opened the door a little more, poking her head back in. "Coast is clear."

Mars quickly stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her, and following Venus. Mars did her best to keep her eyes off of her commander's firm butt on the way there, but found the task impossible, constantly finding her eyes drifting back to the blonde whenever she tried to avert her gaze. When they got to the door Mars was in such a daze that she didn't hear Venus talking to her.

"Mars!" Venus snapped her fingers in front of the Martian's face.

"Yeah?" Mars blushed, her eyes finally meeting Venus' amused ones.

"I asked if you're ready . . . or do you want to keep the Queen waiting so you can stand here checking me out?" Venus smirked, crossing her arms.

"I wasn't checking you out." Mars put up her hands defensively.

"A-huh. I believe you." Venus replied sarcastically, a smile gracing her face as she opened the door, and headed over to her subordinates standing in front of the Queen.

"I wasn't." Mars grumbled under her breath, following Venus' lead.

"Look who finally made it." Jupiter smirked over at her blushing friend. "Where were you?"

"I was um . . ." Mars cleared her throat, trying to think of an excuse as Minako watched her from the corner of her eye. "training."

"I checked the training ground and you weren't-"

"Everyone is here now. Good, we can begin." Came the Queen's voice, interrupting Mars' and Jupiter's conversation. Jupiter started to open her mouth to say something, but Mars shot her a look telling her to leave it alone. "First things first I heard about Adonis' atrocious behavior and I have already discussed the matter with Aphrodite. She will deal with the matter herself when he arrives home and from what I understand he will be demoted to a stable hand." Venus let out a little laugh, a smirk crossed Mars' face, and even Makoto and Ami found themselves smiling at Adonis' fate. "I think it's a suitable punishment too." The Queen smiled, seeing her sailor senshi in good spirits despite the events of the night before. "And as for the issue relating to the attack on the palace the delegates and I have decided to start building teleport units on each planet. If one is in distress the other planets and you will come to their aid. It's the safest course of action. Do you have an questions?"

"How long will it take for the units to be built?" Mercury cocked her head to the side.

"Roughly a week. It may be completed even sooner seeing as everyone is pitching in. The Mercurians are going to help with the technological aspects of the devices, the Martians, Jovians, Venusians, and Lunarians will help build."

"Wow, sounds like a solid plan." Venus nodded her head in approval.

"Well I suppose that concludes our meeting. I have much to do to get these plans in action so you're all dismissed if you want to go say goodbye to your friends." The Queen stood from her seat as the girls started to file out of the room. "Oh and Mars?" Mars stopped in her tracks, looking over at the Queen with a questioning look in her eyes. "You handled the situation with the Venusian's very well and between me and you guys I heard that Adonis guy is a real jerk."

"Thank you your majesty." Mars blushed while the rest of the group tried to stifle back a laugh.

"I've never heard the Queen talk like that." Venus laughed, walking out of the room with her subordinates.

"It was very unexpected." Mercury smiled.

"Speaking of unexpected . . . where were you anyways?" Jupiter raised an eyebrow, looking over at the raven haired girl.

"I was -"

"There you are!" Phobos came up to Mars, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "We didn't get to see you last night after the fight. That was one hell of a brawl."

"And your little move at the end was pretty awesome too." Deimos put his arm around Venus, but was quick to remove it when Mars sent a glare in his direction.

"Thanks. That's a real compliment coming from a Martian." Venus smiled.

"Are you coming to see us off?" Deimos turned his attention to his friend.

"Yeah. I wanted to make sure you two don't cause any trouble before you leave." Mars smirked.

"Awe, we'll miss you too Rei." Phobos nudged Mars.

"Oh shut up." Rei rolled her eyes, arriving at the landing pad where all the space crafts were waiting.

"Until next time." Phobos smiled, pulling Mars into a hug.

"Take care of her." Deimos whispered into Venus' ear before shaking her hand and moving on to hug Rei.

"It was a pleasure to meet you." Phobos shook Venus' hand while the other girls went to see their friends off.

As Mars' friends entered the aircraft she looked over to Venus, smiling at the blonde , getting lost in her beauty when she was suddenly hugged from behind.

"Why didn't you come back last night!?" Came Olithia's voice from behind her.

"I . . . uh . . ." Mars looked helplessly at Venus while Olithia let Mars go only to step in front of her.

"Mars got kind of . . . tied up last night. Sorry Olithia." Venus smiled her fake sweet smile at her old friend while Mars' cheeks turned a light shade of pink knowing full well what Venus meant.

"What could have been so important to deal with at that time of night? I waited for you and you never returned!" Olithia glared at Mars, then looked over to Minako to see a light purple and red mark on her neck. "Wait! Did you -"

"Oh would you look at that? Time to go! The shuttle is leaving!" Venus cut off Olithia, pushing her towards the shuttle.

"You did! Oh my god! Minako how could-"

"It was great seeing you Olithia. I'll try to visit more." Venus pushed her flabbergasted friend into the shuttle, smiling and waving as the door closed.

"Thanks." Mars let out a sigh of relief as the last of the shuttles took off.

"We need to be more careful next time. We can't leave any marks on each other or else someone who isn't Olithia will figure it out." Venus replied quietly so no one would hear.

"Don't worry, we won't get caught." Mars smiled.

 _-End Flashback-_

Minako woke with a start, sweat dripping down her forehead, and her heart pounding as she sat up in bed. She brought her fingertips to her lips; they were still tingling as if Rei had really just kissed her. _'It felt so real . . . I wonder if she had the same dream . . .'_ Minako looked over to her clock, her eyes widening when she saw what time it was. _'I totally overslept. Fuck.'_

After taking a quick shower and frantically getting ready Minako sped to the masquerade, throwing on her white and gold mask once she parked. She stepped inside, pausing at the top of the stairs to scan the crowd, searching for Rei's long black hair. She smiled when she found her walking towards the bar, grabbing a drink.

Rei sighed as she grabbed two champagne glasses, turning around to head back towards her friends and girlfriend, but stopped in her tracks when she looked up the stairs to see Minako standing at the top wearing a tight white and gold dress also a lot like the one she wore on the moon, her eyes partially hidden behind her matching mask. A small smile graced the blonde's features as she locked eyes with her former lover across the room, shyly waving at her.

Mars' heart pounded in her chest as visions from the moon came flooding back to her, accidentally dropping one of the champagne glasses onto the ground. Her cheeks turned bright red, beyond embarrassed by her clumsiness as she kneeled down trying to pick up the broken pieces.

"It's fine. I've got it." One of the men holding trays of food came up, starting to clean the Martian's mess.

"Sorry about that." Rei blushed an even deeper red, standing up and heading back to the bar to grab another glass.

"I thought Martians were immune to butter fingers." Came the familiar soft teasing voice of Minako.

"I was hoping you didn't see that . . ." Rei mumbled to herself, trying to hide her blush.

"Am I so scary looking that I made you drop your glass?" Minako laughed, grabbing herself a glass of champagne.

"What? No. It's not that, I just um . . . I mean . . . You look . . ." Rei sighed, unable to finish her sentence. She chugged her glass of champagne before she could make a bigger fool of herself, grabbing two more afterwards.

"Thanks." Minako smiled, taking a drink from her glass. _'Maybe she did have the vision too.'_

"Listen Mina . . ."

"What's taking you so long Reiko?" Came Lucy's voice as she approached the two girls.

"Sorry Lucy, I accidentally dropped your glass." Rei blushed, glancing over at Minako before she turned around to face her girlfriend.

"So that's what all the commotion was." The pink haired girl laughed, walking up to Rei, and taking her glass from her hands. "Oh hey Minako, I didn't see you there. When did you sneak in?"

Minako sighed, wishing she didn't have to deal with Rei's girlfriend. "Just got here actually." The blonde turned around to face her sworn enemy with a fake smile plastered on her face.

"And your first instinct is to go straight to my girlfriend." Lucy mumbled to herself, taking a drink from her glass.

"What?" Minako raised an eyebrow, the girls comment not escaping her ears.

"I said nice dress." Lucy smiled at the blonde.

"Oh, thanks. It's Versace." Minako said absently, looking around for the rest of the group so she could find a reason to get away from the insufferable pink haired girl.

"I think it's pronounced knock off." Lucy laughed and Minako rolled her eyes.

"What the fuck Lucy?" Rei glared at her girlfriend.

"I'm going to go find the others." Minako swept past the two girls, too irritated to deal with either or them.

"Minako." Rei called out after the blonde, but she was already lost in the crowd. "You said you were going to be nice to her." Rei turned her attention back on her girlfriend.

"I said I would try and I guess I failed." Lucy smiled and shrugged her shoulders, taking another drink from her glass.

"Fuck this." Rei chugged her champagne again, setting the glass down on the table, heading off in search for the blonde, but was stopped when Lucy grabbed her arm.

"Rei wait. I'm sorry." Lucy frowned, looking at Rei with pleading eyes.

"It's not me you need to apologize to." Rei glared at her girlfriend.

"I'll say sorry to her when I see her again okay? I promise." Lucy stepped closer to the pissed off archer. "I don't want to fight babe." She leaned in, pressing her lips against Rei's who once again felt her heart sink at the feeling of her lips against her own instead of Minako's.

"Minako-chan!" Came Usagi's voice when she saw her friend walking through the crowd of masked people. The princess ran up to her friend, hugging her. "I was afraid you wouldn't come."

"You know me" Minako laughed a little and smiled, pulling away from Usagi. "Always arriving fashionably late." Minako looked over her friend's shoulder and her heart dropped when she saw Lucy's claws in Rei, kissing her the way she wished she could. When they pulled apart Rei's eyes found Minako's and for a moment time stopped and Minako could swear she could hear her heart breaking. She broke eye contact, turning around, and chugging the rest of her drink. "I need another."

"Already?" Makoto raised an eyebrow.

"Minako-chan you're going to get drunk if you don't slow down." Usagi chided.

"That's the goal." Minako smiled, walking past her friends, and heading the opposite way of Lucy and Rei heading her direction.

"Where is she going?" Rei got on her tiptoes, trying to look over the crowd of people.

"To get another drink." Ami answered, looking over her shoulder after her commander with a worried look on her face.

"Is she okay?" Rei looked to her friends for answers.

"I'm sure she's fine Reiko. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself." Lucy rolled her eyes, taking a drink from her glass when her phone started going off. "Shit, it's my manger. I have to take this. Will you hold onto my glass for me?" Rei opened her mouth to say something, but Lucy shoved her glass in her girlfriend's hand before she could reply. "Thanks, you're a doll."

"What's her deal?" Makoto looked after the retreating form of Lucy.

"She's being -" Usagi started.

"A bitch." Rei finished, glaring after Lucy.

"Trouble in paradise?" Makoto drank from her glass.

"She's picking on Minako and we've been fighting a lot." Rei sighed, handing a man with a silver platter walking by Lucy's drink. "I don't know what to do."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that. What does she have against Minako?" Ami asked curiously.

"She . . . thinks Minako wants me and that . . . I want her." Rei bit her lower lip.

"Well don't you?" Usagi raised an eyebrow.

"What!? No . . . I mean . . . it's confusing." Rei knit her brow, shaking her head.

"Well you need to get your head on straight and figure out what it is you want." Makoto shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't you think I know that already." Rei shot back in a snippy tone, chugging down the rest of her drink, and walking off.

"They'll figure it out eventually." Usagi smiled.

 **This is the end**  
 **Hold your breath and count to ten**  
 **Feel the earth move and then**  
 **Hear my heart burst again**

 **For this is the end**  
 **I've drowned and dreamt this moment**  
 **So overdue I owe them**  
 **Swept away, I'm stolen**

While the three friends hung out Rei looked around for a hint of blonde hair, pushing through the crowd. When she cleared through all of the people she looked around to find Minako on the opposite side of the room. The blonde's back was to her at first, drinking down another glass of champagne, only turning around once the glass was emptied and she felt a pair of eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. Their eyes locked and they slowly walked the opposite way of each other never once breaking their gaze, doing a dance they've been doing for hundreds of years; a dance they were well versed at.

Rei started to lose all sense of where she was, people blurred together, the music played softly in the background, and all she could see was Minako. There was a hint of sadness and longing in those blue eyes that usually shined so bright, but right now they were like a storm in the middle of the ocean. Rei felt herself inexplicably drawn to the blonde, unsure if she was in the past or present, walking in a fog. Minako was the first to look away, unable to bear the miko's intense stare scrutinizing her every move as she headed to a door marked stairwell.

Watching Minako turn her back on her caused panic to suddenly rise in Rei's chest, her heart pounding as Minako disappeared behind the door. Rei started to desperately push through the crowd that acted as a blockade keeping her from the blonde, unsure as to why she was chasing her. She pushed and shoved until she made her way out again, making a beeline for the door.

When Rei burst through the door she found Minako sitting in the dark stairwell with her head in her hands, only looking up when she heard the door open. Tears looked like they were threatening to fall from her eyes, her mask barely hiding the pain she held.

"Rei? What are you-"

 **Let the sky fall**  
 **When it crumbles**  
 **We will stand tall**  
 **Face it all together**

 **Let the sky fall**  
 **When it crumbles**  
 **We will stand tall**  
 **Face it all together**  
 **At skyfall**  
 **That skyfall**

Before Minako could finish Rei took the last few steps towards the blonde, leaning down and grabbing her face in her hands as she crashed her lips against Minako's in a desperate kiss ignoring all sense of reason. Minako didn't kiss back at first due to shock, but was quick to respond as she wrapped her arms around Rei's neck, standing up and pulling Rei closer to her as she buried her hands in Rei's dark locks. Rei kissed down to Minako's neck, sucking on the skin as she slid one hand up her arm, pulling the strap down so it was hanging off of Minako's shoulder.

"Reiko." Minako let out a satisfied sigh as the miko kissed down to her shoulder, biting it lightly as Minako ran her hands down Rei's back. _'This feels even better than the flashbacks.'_ Minako thought to herself as Rei kissed her way back up to her neck, kissing underneath the blonde's jaw before capturing her lips in another searing kiss.

 **Skyfall is where we start**  
 **A thousand miles and poles apart**  
 **Where worlds collide and days are dark**  
 **You may have my number, you can take my name**  
 **But you'll never have my heart**

Rei slowly backed Minako up against a wall, her blonde hair already getting messy as she ran her tongue along Rei's lower lip, begging for entrance that Rei was all too happy to grant. Their tongues battled as Minako wrapped one leg around her Martian, spurring Rei to run her hand up her outer thigh, hiking up her dress almost to the blonde's hips. Rei ran her hand up under Minako's dress, gripping her hip tightly, and pulling her lover closer to her as her heart pounded in her chest almost as if it was trying to rip itself from her body to be closer to Minako.

 **Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)**  
 **When it crumbles (when it crumbles)**  
 **We will stand tall (we will stand tall)**  
 **Face it all together**

 **Let the sky fall (let the sky fall)**  
 **When it crumbles (when it crumbles)**  
 **We will stand tall (we will stand tall)**  
 **Face it all together**  
 **At skyfall**

Minako dropped her leg, suddenly spinning the two around, and slamming Rei against the wall, pinning the miko's hands above her head as she kissed down to Rei's neck. Rei let out a soft moan, not even daring to fight against the blonde biting her neck; she was Minako's willing victim and Minako was her sweet torturer who always found a way to make her bend to her will in the most amazing ways. Minako slowly released her grip of Rei's hands, sliding her hands down her arms until they rested on the sides of the miko's neck, pulling her into a deeper kiss.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there. I know it's important."

Rei suddenly jumped away from Minako with wide eyes when she heard Lucy's voice approaching from a couple flights up; the pink haired girl's voice seemed to snap her back into reality. She looked up the stairs then at Minako, trying to make a decision, but upon hearing the clicking of Lucy's heals getting closer she made a snap decision, running out the door, grabbing two drinks, and running back to her friends, leaving Minako alone and confused.

"Hey Minako." Lucy smiled her wolfish smile at the blonde who looked completely lost.

"Oh . . . hey Lucy." Minako looked off to the side, pushing her strap back up to its rightful place.

"Why are you creeping around in the stairwell?" The pink haired girl raised an eyebrow.

"I just needed to . . . get away." Minako's blue eyes drifted to the ground.

"Ooookay then . . . well I'm going to go find Rei. You have fun." Lucy smiled cockily as she strode out of the stairwell.

"Where did you disappear to?" Makoto raised an eyebrow at Rei as she approached the group quickly looking completely disheveled with two drinks in her hand.

"I . . . well . . ." Rei took a drink from her glass, trying to shove down the guilt of leaving Minako like that. _'Why did I do that? Why the fuck did I do that? I should have just left her alone, but I . . . I couldn't. I can't. I have to though. I'm with Lucy, but Minako . . . fuck Minako . . . I'm so sorry.'_ Rei thought to herself as she glanced over at the door, desperately wanting to return to the blonde and apologize or explain herself.

"Oh good, you got me another drink." Lucy smiled, taking the glass from her girlfriend.

"Yeah . . ." Rei replied with her eyes still fixed on the door.

"Is everything alright Rei?" Ami asked with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." Rei snapped her head back to the group, putting on a fake smile, trying to hide her blush and her sinking heart. "I just think I've had too much to drink."

When the door closed behind Lucy Minako pushed her back against the wall, slinking down to the ground, and putting her head back in her hands, tears running freely down her face now. _'What the fuck was that? She follows me in here and then she just randomly makes out with me. Then her stupid ass girlfriend came along so she ran off. Why would she come in here and-"_ Minako's thoughts were cut short when she heard screaming and things crashing to the ground. Her instincts took over as she stood up quickly, quietly opening the door a crack to see a bunch of youma attacking the people at the party and her friends stuck in their civilian forms. "Shit . . ." She quietly cursed to herself, closing the door and quickly transforming before things could get worse.

Once she transformed she ran out to see Makoto and Ami protecting Usagi who was cowering under a table while Rei was fighting off a youma trying to protect Lucy.

"You need to get out of here." Rei said as she ducked, barely avoiding the youma's angry claws.

"I'm not leaving without you Rei!" Lucy cried out.

"I'll be okay. Just go!" Rei dodge rolled, popping up and punching the youma hard in the ribs with her left hand, sending a right hook immediately after, connecting with the youma's face, causing it to go stumbling back.

"I love you Rei." Lucy grabbed Rei, kissing her.

Venus watched the display and something inside of her finally snapped as she formed her Venus love me chain in her hand, sending it flying in Rei's direction.

Rei's head snapped away from Lucy when she heard a loud screech, the youma she had been fighting went to swipe at her back, but was stopped by a familiar gold chain wrapped around it's neck, yanking it backwards. It turned towards its assailant to see a very pissed off senshi of love grabbing a champagne glass, breaking it on a table so all that was left was a very sharp glass stem. The blonde ran at the youma, letting out a loud battle cry as she jumped on it, stabbing it in the neck over and over again before it could even retaliate. Blood came spurting out of the wound every time she stabbed into its neck, causing it to splatter all over her face and body. When the monster stopped moving she slowly looked up, locking eyes with Rei as she stood up completely covered in blood and a murderous look in her eyes.

"Go!" Rei yelled at Lucy, pushing her towards the exit as she picked up a fallen knife and ran full speed at Minako.

 _'Is she going to attack me?'_ Minako thought to herself perplexed, getting herself in a battle stance.

"Duck!"

Minako quickly followed her command, dropping to the ground as a monster swiped at her from behind and Mars jumped over her, tackling the youma to the ground, and stabbing it in the front of it's skull once she had it on the ground. When Minako popped back up and turned around there was already another monster running at Rei from the side as she tried to free her knife from the fallen youma's head. As the enraged monster lunged at the fire senshi Venus picked up her sharp glass stem again, throwing it as hard and as fast as she could in its direction. The glass found its home in the monster's eye, driving through to the monster's brain as it came crashing down onto the floor mere inches away from Rei as she finally freed her knife.

"Venus!" While Minako was busy trying to protect Rei another youma had formed behind her. Rei ran to the blonde, shoving her out of the way, grabbing the monster's arm while it was mid-swing to try to stop it, but its momentum was too great and sent Rei's knife, her only defense, crashing onto the ground. Rei struggled hard against the monster, using all of her strength to hold it's arms back as it let out a loud yell in her face. Before Rei knew what was happening the monster headbutted her hard once, causing her to lose her balance, and then one more time even harder sending her stumbling back before it picked her up and threw her at a table, leaving her sprawled out on the floor with a bloody forehead and blurry vision.

Rei tried to get up from the ground, pushing up with her arms, but her muscles protested, sending her right back onto her face. The monster was stalking up to her, it's claws sharp and ready for the kill when it stopped in it's tracks, letting out a loud yell. Minako had picked up Rei's knife and stabbed it in the back at least five times and when it turned around to swipe at her she ducked, popping back up, and slicing it's throat in one swift movement.

"You need to transform! All of you! I'll hold them off!" Minako commanded, forming her love me chain as three more monsters came after her.

"Venus, I'm sor- Rei started to try to apologize, slowly standing up.

"There no time for that right now! Go!" Minako yelled, ignoring Rei's apology, spurring the four girls into action as they ran into the stairwell to transform, ensuring their identities would be safe. "Now . . . who wants to die first?" Venus smirked, eyeing her enemies up and down.

A new youma came forward that looked different from the rest; instead of being completely black it had streaks of light blue along its whole body and it's eyes were a whitish blue. It didn't say a word, it just slowly lifted its claw and pointed in Venus' direction. Venus furrowed her brow as an uneasy feeling took over her whole body and sharp spikes of ice starting shooting up from the ground towards her. Minako quickly jumped out of the way as a spike meant for her came bursting up from where her feet were supposed to be, sending her love me chain flying in the ice youma's direction. To her dismay it caught her chain with it's wrist and flung it's arm to the side, sending her flying into the wall. When she slowly stood up she found the three youma already within a couple feet of her. She raised her arms to give herself some kind of defense, closing her eyes tightly, but opened them when she felt nothing.

Venus opened her eyes to see the tip of Mars' fire sword sticking out through the front of the surprised youma's neck, then looked to her left to see a spear through another youma's chest while Ami and Usagi fought the last youma a couple yards away.

"You didn't think we'd let you have all the fun now did you?" Jupiter smiled over at her commander, pulling her spear out of the monster's chest.

"You guys never let me have any fun." Minako smiled, grateful for her friends good timing.

Looking over her shoulder Mars saw Mercury struggling and quickly formed her fire bow in her hand, sending an arrow flying in the monster's direction as it lifted its claw to swipe Mercury's head clean off. The monster went flying backwards as the arrow struck its mark in the beasts chest, creating a large dent in the ground when it landed onto the floor.

"Looks like the gangs all here!" Came a voice from the stage, causing all five of the girls to snap their heads in the voice's direction.

"Who the Hell are you?" Mars lifted her fire bow, aiming at a man with blue and white hair, a headset resting on his neck, and casual attire on.

"Ah ah ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you." He shook his finger at Rei as the ice youma came to stand in front of him protectively.

"It's the Dj." Ami furrowed her brow confused.

"So you noticed me eh?" He smiled. "I'm so glad I got all of you girls here together. He said I would be rewarded handsomely for your capture, but I think he'll be even happier with your heads don't you?"

"Fuck you." Venus glared at the smirking Dj.

"I like your spirit." He pointed at Venus, too upbeat and happy for their liking. "How bout we get this party started ladies?"

"Wha-" Usagi started, but before any of them could do anything a big portal appeared, sucking all of the girls in, and sending them falling until they crashed onto the ground.

Mars was the first to stand up to see they were on a brightly colored dance floor that seemed to be hovering in the abyss. She stepped up to the edge to see there was nothing but darkness beneath them and only a stairway at the end of the platform leading to another dance floor.

"Where in the fuck did he - -" Venus started as she stood up, but stopped when she heard the music come from all around them and the floor start to jump up and down sporadically making it quite difficult to not fall off the edge.

"Round one! Fight or die!" Came the man's voice they had all already grown to hate. "Oh . . . and watch your step."

 **Welcome to the end of eras**  
 **Ice has melted back to life**  
 **Done my time and served my sentence**  
 **Dress me up and watch me die**  
 **If it feels good, tastes good**  
 **It must be mine**  
 **Dynasty decapitated**  
 **You just might see a ghost tonight**

 **And if you don't know, now you know**

"Fucking shit." Mars cursed under her breath as monsters surrounded the five girls who went back to back in the center of the stage. The fire senshi formed her fire sword in her hands as one of the monsters sprinted in her direction, ducking when it reached her so it could be greeted with Jupiter's spear to its throat. Mars rolled out from beneath the youma as Venus formed her love me chain, throwing it, and wrapping it around one of the monsters ankles. She yanked hard, sending it flying into the air only for it to be greeted with Mar's fire sword going through the top of it's chest, sending it crashing onto the ground.

 **I'm taking back the crown**  
 **I'm all dressed up and naked**  
 **I see what's mine and take it**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **Oh, yeah**  
 **The crown...**  
 **So close I can taste it**  
 **I see what's mine and take it**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **Oh, yeah**

When Mars looked up, pulling her sword free another monster came running at her, but she was quick to dodge, sending the monster tumbling into the abyss while Makoto sent a bolt of lightning straight into the chest of another youma. The youma convulsed on the ground as the electricity ran up and down its body while Ami ran and jumped over the youma, punching another one so hard it stumbled off of the edge.

"Mars!" Venus yelled as another youma appeared swiping her from the side.

The raven haired girl reacted quickly, bending backwards as it's claw barely missed her, landing backwards with one hand on the ground. Minako held out her hand, pulling Mars up with her free hand, pulling her away before it's other claw smashed into the ground where the miko's chest should have been. The monster let out an angry yell, turning around to chase it's prey only to be met with a spear through it's head, crumbling to the ground when Makoto pulled it back out. The girls went back to back again, looking around uneasily seeing all of the monsters were all gone, waiting for more to form, but were startled when the floor started falling apart piece by piece.

"Run!" Venus yelled as all of the girls booked it for the stairs, the abyss getting closer and closer to them as pieces of the platform kept falling off. Usagi was the last to make it to the stairs, starting to fall off of the edge when Mars grabbed her shirt quickly, pulling her towards her to safety.

"And that is why you do the cardio training." Mars glared at the princess as they all ran up the stairs to the second platform.

"Looks like you made it to round two! Try not to slip and fall!" The Dj laughed as the ice youma made his appearance again with little flying youma popping up around the platform.

S **ycophants on velvet sofas**  
 **Lavish mansions, vintage wine**  
 **I am so much more than royal**  
 **Snatch your chain and mace your eyes**  
 **If it feels good, tastes good**  
 **It must be mine**  
 **Heroes always get remembered**  
 **But you know legends never die**

 **And if you don't know, now you know**

Mars quickly formed her fire bow, shooting down one of the youma flying around shooting at the girls while the rest of the group busied themselves with the ice monster. The big beast slammed it's fist on the floor, covering most of the platform in ice as the girls tried to go running at it only to find themselves slipping everywhere now.

"Shit! What now!?" Jupiter looked over to Venus.

"You die." The monster replied in a deep voice for the commander.

"Fuck off!" Venus yelled back, sending her love me chain flying at the monster while Jupiter sent lightning in the direction of one of the flying beasts. The ice youma laughed, knocking her chain to the side and sent icicles flying in the blonde's direction. Venus scurried to get out of the way, slipping on the ice, barely making it out of the way in time, and accidentally crashing into Mars. The fire senshi fell back as she was shooting another arrow at one of the last flying youma, missing her target, and crashing onto the cold ground. It only took that moment to give the flying youma the opportunity to shoot it's arrow, sending it through Rei's arm, causing the Martian to hiss in pain.

I **'m taking back the crown**  
 **I'm all dressed up and naked**  
 **I see what's mine and take it**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **Oh, yeah**  
 **The crown**  
 **So close I can taste it**  
 **I see what's mine and take it**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **Oh, yeah**

"Mars!" Venus cried out, sending her chain flying at the youma, and wrapping it around its neck. With one pull the youma's head was separated from it's body, sending it falling into the dark abyss. "Are you ok?" Venus looked worriedly at the raven haired girl.

"I'm fine. Thanks." Mars smiled as she slowly stood up, pulling the arrow from her arm with one hard tug.

"A little help here!?" Makoto yelled over her shoulder as the three girls desperately tried to dodge the ice youma's attacks.

Mars and Venus went to run and help their friends when the ice youma slammed it's fist on the ground again, creating a wall separating Venus from the rest of the group.

"Shit!" Venus slammed her fists into the wall, not even making a dent.

"Stand back!" Mars ducked, dodging an icicle sent flying her way. The fire senshi closed her eyes, fire forming around her fist as she went to punch the wall, but was sent flying back when the ice youma came and backhanded her, sending her sliding to the edge of the platform.

"Fuck!" Makoto, Ami, and Usagi ran to the edge of the platform as Rei started to slowly slide off. Ami and Usagi grabbed the miko's hands, pulling her away from the edge while Makoto stayed in her fighting stance protecting her friends.

The youma looked over to the four girls, almost smiling as it disappeared and reappeared on the opposite side of the ice leaving Venus by herself. The blonde lifted her hand to punch it, but the youma grabbed her fist with one hand, using it's other to wrap around her throat, and lift her up off of the ground.

"Venus!" Makoto ran at the ice wall, trying to break it with her spear, but it simply just got caught in the ice.

Minako desperately kicked at the air, gripping the ice youma's claw to try to loosen it's grip, gasping for air, but found no release. Her blue eyes got wider as ice started creeping up her neck originating from the monster's hand, sending chills up and down her spine, making it even harder for her to breath as the ice made its way to her jawline.

"Move!" Mars commanded, pushing Makoto to the side as fire formed around her first, a new fury burning in her heart as she crashed her fist into the ice wall, shattering it, and sending the shards falling to the ground. The monster looked to the side at the loud sound, letting out a shrill scream as Mars' fire sword ripped through it's arm, dismembering it from it's body while Minako crashed to the ground, the ice disappearing from her neck as she gasped for air. The monster went to smash its fist down onto the Venusian, but Mars was quicker, grabbing Venus' hand and pulling her into her arms.

The monster jumped back, holding it's stub where it's arm used to be with it's claw, glaring at the raven haired girl. "You guys distract the youma." Mars said quietly to Makoto, Ami, and Usagi. "And I need your love me chain." Mars looked at Venus, quickly letting her go and blushing when she realized she had been holding the blonde a little longer than necessary.

"What are you going to-" Venus started.

"Just trust me." Mars smiled as Venus handed one end of her love me chain to Mars. "Step on that patch with no ice and just hold this end. Don't let go."

"I won't." Venus said softly, looking into Mars' eyes.

"Oi! You! Yeah, you!" Usagi yelled at the ice youma. "You missed!" The beast reared it's head over to the small blonde, glaring at the three girls as it started charging up a big icicle. Sweat formed on Usagi's head seeing how annoyed the beast looked, starting to scramble to get away. "Shitshitshitshit."

 **Mortal kings are ruling castles**  
 **Welcome to my world of fun**  
 **Liars settle into sockets**  
 **Flip the switch and watch them run**

 **Oh, yeah, oh**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **I'm taking back, back, taking back, back**  
 **The crown**  
 **I'm all dressed up and naked**  
 **I see what's mine and take it**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **Oh, yeah**  
 **The crown**  
 **So close I can taste it**  
 **I see what's mine and take it**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **Oh, yeah**

 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**  
 **(Finders keepers, losers weepers)**

With the ice youma distracted Mars wrapped Venus' love me chain around her wrist, ignoring the burning on her arm as she tied it. The miko let out a slow breath, forming her fire bow in her hand, and pulling the string back. She aimed low, confusing all of the girls around her, but she had no time to explain her plan; she had one chance and that was it. Mars released the arrow and ran full speed at the beast, dropping and sliding on her back when she got to the ice, forming her fire sword in her hand. The arrow met her target before she did, flying through the ice youma's leg like it was made of butter, causing the monster to fall to its knees in pain. Mars held her sword up, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, sliding quickly towards the monster, and once she was beneath the beast she slid between it's legs and swung her sword hard, sending the fire blade slicing through its neck, decapitating it, but with her momentum she went sliding off of the platform.

Mars held on tightly to the chain, praying to all of the gods that Venus wouldn't let go no matter how mad she might be at her right now. The raven haired girl closed her eyes as she fell for a good couple of seconds until she felt the slack in the chain tighten up and she stopped, hanging mid air over the edge. Mars let out a sigh of relief as Venus started pulling her back up, grabbing the edge of the platform.

"You stupid insolent fucking girls! Do you think you can escape him!?" The Dj made his appearance, sure that Mars was gone, but failed to hear the raven haired girl pulling herself up behind him. "Looks like I'm going to have to handle round 3." He cracked his neck to the side, getting in his fighting stance when a fire sword suddenly emerged through the front of his chest.

"You should have thrown in the towel when you had the chance." Mars growled in his ear, pulling her sword out from his back, sending the demonic Dj falling to his knees with an empty expression in his eyes. Moments later the room flickered and they were suddenly back to where the masquerade had been held.

"What in the fuck was that!?" Makoto slumped down to a sitting position, breathing hard.

Venus' love me chain disappeared as she caught her breath, looking over at the others. "An ambush."

* * *

 **AN: Well there it is folks :D I hope you liked it and pretty please leave me your feedback that I always love to read :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hey there! I bet you thought I forgot about this story, but I most definitely did not. Between working three jobs, recording my album, filming and editing my fiance's skate video oh and planning our wedding I have had little to no time to write anything :( I wanted to post something letting people know I haven't given up on this fic and I'm going to see it through until the end, but I don't think there's anything more annoying than someone updating their fic just to say 'hey i'm going on hiatus for a while.' What a tease! Anyways I hope I still have some followers with the story and I hope you enjoy the new chapter. I'm just glad to have finally gotten to write something and put it up :)  
**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: You Shouldn't Keep Your Girlfriend Waiting**

"An ambush!?" Usagi cried out as she transformed back into her civilian form. "You mean . . ."

"Someone knows our real identities." Minako pinched the bridge of her nose as an uneasy feeling spread throughout the group.

"That can't be possible." Makoto slumped down onto a chair, her mouth slightly agape.

"The DJ said 'he' would reward him for our capture . . . Whoever 'he' is he must know who we really are." Ami frowned. "But how?"

"Any ideas Rei-chan?" Usagi looked to her raven haired guardian for answers.

"No." A scowl was set on the miko's face as she ripped off a piece of cloth from a table, wrapping it tightly around her arm to stop the bleeding, her mind elsewhere.

"Great, not even our psychic has a clue." Usagi cried.

"I'm not a psychic!" Rei glared over at the princess.

"We need to be extremely careful from here on out. Since he knows who we are he could attack at any moment, especially if we're in a situation where we can't transform. We got lucky this time." Minako sighed, pacing the floor.

"And he's not the only one we have to worry about. It seems he has other youma doing his bidding, but why? Youma are selfish by nature and you seldom see them work together like this. I don't understand." Ami looked around at the destruction caused by the monsters in the ballroom when her eyes landed on Rei's arm bleeding through the cloth. "Rei-chan, you should really get that checked out." Ami frowned, walking over to her comrade.

"I'll be fine." Rei said softly, still wracked with guilt as she pulled her arm from Ami's grasp. "And it's not like I can just walk into a hospital and say 'hey, I'm Sailor Mars and I got into a bit of a scuffle with some youma which lead me to getting shot through the arm with some type of demon arrow. Fix me." Ami gave Rei a look that made her feel even worse for making her friend worry. "I'll stitch it up when I get home okay?"

"Maybe Lucy can help." Minako smiled fakely, breezing past Rei, heading for the front door.

"What in the world is going on now?" Makoto sighed, feeling the tension between the two girls.

Rei didn't explain to the group as she went after the blonde, her heart dropping at her suggestion. "Minako! Wait up!" Rei caught Minako about to turn a corner outside.

"What is it Rei?" Minako sighed, turning around to come face to face with the miko, too angry and upset to think straight.

"I just wanted to explain . . ."

"Reiko! There you are!" Came the last voice Minako wanted to hear right now.

"I think that right there perfectly sums everything up." Minako rolled her eyes, turning back around to leave.

"Minako . . ." Rei grabbed the blonde's hand to gain her attention.

"I was so worried about you!" Lucy started walking towards Rei, seeing her try to talk to her sworn enemy.

"You shouldn't keep your girlfriend waiting." The blonde bit out bitterly, pulling her hand from Rei's grasp, and disappearing around the corner.

"I was so scared I was going to lose you." Lucy pulled Rei into a tight hug the second she reached her girlfriend.

"Why didn't you get out of here like I told you to?" The fire senshi frowned, pulling away. "It's unsafe."

"I couldn't just leave knowing you were in there with those things. If something happened to you I would never forgive myself." Lucy eye's filled up with tears which only seemed to annoy the fire senshi.

"Well I'm fine so no need to worry." Rei crossed her arms, looking over her shoulder as if she was expecting Minako to pop back up.

"Rei you're bleeding!" Lucy gasped when she saw blood leaking through her girlfriend's bandaged arm, grabbing it to get a better look.

"I told you I'm fine." Rei sighed, pulling her arm from Lucy's grasp. "It's just a little cut."

"A little cut wouldn't bleed like that Reiko!" Lucy grabbed the fire senshi's arm again, trying to lift up the makeshift bandage to see the damage that had been done.

"Lucy stop!" Rei pulled arm back a little more forcefully then she meant to.

"What is your deal!?" Lucy yelled, feeling beyond frustrated with her girlfriend. "I'm just worried about you and you keep acting like i'm a nuisance!"

Rei felt a new wave of guilt hit her at the hurt tone in Lucy's voice, suddenly remembering that Minako wasn't the only one she was hurting with her indecisive behavior. _'Fuck . . . I cheated on her and now I'm acting horribly.'_ "I'm sorry Lucy." Rei pulled her girlfriend into a hug, feeling guilty on so many different levels. "I didn't mean to snap at you. It has just been a crazy long night."

"Well let's head back to your place and I'll take extra . . ." A devious smile formed on the pink haired girl's face as she started to kiss Rei's neck. "Special . . ." She kissed up to Rei's jawline. "Good care of you." Lucy whispered the last part into the miko's ear, biting down on her earlobe to emphasize her point.

Rei couldn't help herself from flinching away from her girlfriend's actions. "That sounds great Lucy, but . . ." Rei took a step back from Lucy, looking down at the ground. "I'm just not feeling up to it."

"Are you serious?" Lucy crossed her arms, getting pissed off all over again. She obviously wasn't used to rejection.

"I'm just really tired and I need to take care of my arm . . ." Rei kept her eyes focused downward, trying to avoid Lucy's angry glare at all costs.

"Well I'll help you then."

"I think I need to be alone tonight." The miko replied softly.

"With Minako?"

"What?" Rei's head snapped up at the mention of the blonde, her eyes wide.

"I saw you two." Lucy narrowed her eyes.

"You saw what?" Rei gulped, swallowing the lump in her throat. _'She can't possibly know. She didn't see us in the stairwell . . . did she?'_

"I saw you chasing after her out here. You seem to always be chasing after her or vice versa when it's me you should be worried about."

"I-" Rei felt her cheeks heat up, completely flustered.

"Don't even try to deny it. What was she still doing here anyway? Did you stay just to protect _HER_?" Lucy was once again working herself up, thinking about her girlfriend putting her life at risk for the blonde.

"Lucy-" Rei tried to calm her increasingly pissed off girlfriend.

"Is that how you got that wound!?" Lucy pointed at the bandage that was getting bloodier and bloodier by the moment.

"What? No." Rei felt as if she was being backed into a corner. _'She is way too perceptive.'_ "I got cut by some broken glass. I didn't see Minako until those things disappeared. I was just chasing after her to make sure she was okay."

"Of course. God forbid if something happened to your precious Minako." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"My _precious_ Minako? What the Hell are you talking about!?" Rei threw up her arms, her frustration starting to outweigh the guilt.

"The same thing we've been talking and arguing about since we got together." The pink haired girl replied coldly.

"Lucy, I think it's been a long night for both of us and we should stop here before we say things we don't mean." Rei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Fuck off Rei." Lucy stormed past her girlfriend, heading home.

"Gladly." Rei mumbled under her breath, heading in the opposite direction to her place.

By the time the miko was climbing the Hikawa Shrine stairs all of her anger dissipated, replaced with the heavy feeling of guilt weighing her down, making each step she took difficult. _'Not only is Minako pissed off at me, but so is Lucy and she doesn't even know what happened. She has a right to be angry with me . . . they both do.'_ Rei walked into her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror with a blank expression, unable to comprehend the person she had become. _'I never thought I would become the type of person that strings along two different people . . .'_

Rei sighed, opening her cabinet to pull out hydrogen peroxide, a thread, and a needle. Slowly and carefully Rei removed the cloth wrapped around her wound, frowning when she saw a steady little flow of blood still coming out. She cleaned off her hands before she grabbed a clean cloth, dampening it with water, and wiping down her arm to clean the wound, flinching when she touched particularly sensitive spots.

"This is the fun part." Rei mumbled sarcastically to herself, already dreading using the hydrogen peroxide and needle. The miko let out a deep breath as she grabbed the dreaded disinfectant, trying to mentally prepare herself for the pain about to come as she twisted off the top. Before she could let herself think on it too much Rei quickly poured the liquid onto her wound. "Fucking shit!" Rei dropped the bottle from the intense stinging sensation that hurt so bad it almost felt as if her arm was going numb from the immense pain.

The pyro sat down on the toilet seat, closing her eyes tightly, willing the pain to stop. When she could no longer feel her heartbeat in her arm Rei slowly opened her eyes, letting out a relieved breath as she leaned down to pick up the bottle that was currently spilling its contents all over the bathroom floor. "Great." Rei sighed, looking at the mess she made. "Guess I'll have to clean that up when I'm done. You seldom see karma act so swiftly."

Turning her attention back to sewing up her wound Rei grabbed the needle, threading it carefully, and letting out another long breath. "I really should have gone to the hospital. At least they would have given me something for the pain." The miko grumbled to herself, pushing the needle through her skin, and threading it back together. Rei took her time sewing herself shut, flinching every time she had to carefully push the needle through her skin, and once she was finished she leaned over and grabbed the loose thread with her teeth, pulling and breaking it free from the needle.

"Thank God that's over." Rei let out a relieved breath as she grabbed fresh gauze to wrap around her wound before she grabbed some paper towels to clean up her mess. By the time she was done with everything she looked at the clock and saw it was 3 am. "Guess it's too late to meditate now." The raven haired girl sighed as she sulked into her bedroom, settling down in her sheets, and falling into a fitful sleep.

 _Flashback_

Mars walked at a brisk pace down the halls of the palace, she rarely overslept, and it was even more rare for her to be late to things. _'Venus is going to kill me if I'm late to this meeting.'_ The raven haired girl slipped through the door where Venus called their meeting only to see a guard standing a little too close to Venus for her liking. For a moment she silently stood there watching as the light haired man leaned in close to her commander while she seemed to be leaning over a map on the desk, pointing at certain sections as she spoke in a low voice. The man stepped even closer to Venus, almost pressing himself against her as he said something so quietly she couldn't hear him to which Venus laughed and stepped back, playfully slapping his arm. Mars felt her insides start to boil, gripping her hands in a tight fist as Venus smiled and flipped her golden locks while his dark eyes roamed the blonde's body, undressing her with his eyes. _'He's flirting with her! And she's-'_

"Hey Mars! It's about time you showed up!" Jupiter smiled and stood up from her chair next to Mercury's once she noticed the pyro's presence.

"Thank you for your report. Keep up the good work and make sure to keep checking in with me regularly." Venus smiled at the guard.

"I surely will. I'll see you around." The guard replied with a greasy smile, winking at Venus before he headed for the door Mars was still currently standing in front of, eyeing the soldier up and down. When he reached his exit he stopped in his steps, his smile faltering when he saw the smoldering gaze Mars was giving him, her jaw clenched tight, and her lips in a straight line. "I'm sorry, but I uh . . " He stuttered nervously under the scrutinizing gaze of the Martian who seemed like she was about to kill him where he stood.

"Oh I'm sorry. Am I in your way?" The corner of Mars' mouth only slightly moved up into the smallest of smiles seeing the man squirm under her cold gaze.

"Well, not really, b-but . . ."

"Here, I'll show you out." Mars smiled a fake sweet smile, opening the door for the guard, and promptly closing it behind him.

"You're late." Venus frowned, crossing her arms.

"I'm sorry. I lost track of time." Mars turned her attention back to the blonde as she headed to the table, taking her seat next to the Venusian.

"That's your excuse?" Venus raised an eyebrow, sitting down next to the raven haired girl.

"I didn't-" Mars started.

"Don't let it happen again." Venus snapped, causing Jupiter and Mercury to fidget uneasily.

"I won't." Mars replied, feeling her cheeks heat up.

"Well now that everyone is here . . ." Venus sent another pointed look in Mars' direction. "We just need to go over patrolling. Has anything seemed out of the ordinary?"

"No." Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter replied in unison.

"Good, the guards said the same and I haven't seen anything myself which I'm hoping is a good thing. On to the next order of business; the teleportation pads are almost finished with construction. If there is ever an issue on any of our allied planets we will be the first to head to the pad in the garden. We will be the first line of defense. Does anyone have any questions so far?" Venus looked around at everyone shaking their heads no. "Alright and last but not least patrol duty this week will be changed up once again. Since you were late . . ." The blonde looked over to Mars. "You will be taking the long patrol shift today. Once the meeting is dismissed your patrol will begin immediately and go until 0800."

"My patrol will be twelve hours?" Mars' eyebrow twitched.

"Yes. I think it's suitable punishment. I'll go easy on you this time, but next time . . ." Mars felt Venus' hand start sliding up her thigh under the table. "You will receive a more severe _punishment_." The Martian tried to hide her blush as Venus squeezed her thigh feeling both turned on and angry at the blonde.

"Alright." Mars pushed the blonde's hand off of her thigh, letting her anger outweigh her hormones, ignoring the brief questioning look Venus sent her.

"Mercury, you will patrol after Mars." Venus quickly recovered from Mars' rejection. "Jupiter will follow after you and then I will patrol. I think that covers everything for now. We'll have another meeting in a couple of days so we can go over the plan of action in case of an attack on an allied planet. Meeting adjourned."

Mars was the first to stand up, storming towards the door.

"Mars." Venus called out to the raven haired girl before she left.

"Yes?" Mars stood with her back to the Venusian, ready to walk out the door.

"I expect you to meet up with me once your patrol is finished. We have important matters to discuss." Venus tried to make her order sound as official as possible.

"Yes commander." Mars replied curtly before she left to patrol.

"Remind me to never be late and piss you off." Jupiter laughed, standing up, only to receive a glare from her commander. "I'm just joking." Jupiter held up her hands defensively, making a hasty retreat with Mercury out the door.

Mars' patrol was a long one filled with her stomping around the palace grounds, glaring at anyone who dared to look her way, and grumbling under her breath about Venusians. The Martian was so lost in her anger she didn't hear someone approaching her from behind.

"Hey Mars."

Mars jumped, turning around quickly with her sword drawn.

"It's just me." Mercury laughed, holding up her hands.

"Oh, sorry. I was just lost in thought." Mars blushed, sheathing her sword.

"I came to relieve you of your duties." Mercury smiled.

"Is it 0800 already?" Mars looked around confused.

"Yup. I guess time flies when you're raging like that." Mercury started walking with her raven haired friend.

"I wasn't-" The pyro started to explain.

"It's okay Mars." Mercury looked over at Mars. "I may not lose my temper often, but I can understand why you would be upset. Your punishment was a little excessive seeing as you were only a couple of minutes late, but you didn't hear that from me." The blunette smiled.

"Mercury speaking out against her commanding officer. Now that's something I thought I would never see." Mars smiled back, feeling a little of the tension she had been carrying release now that she knew someone as logical as Mercury was on her side.

"Just because I follow orders it doesn't mean I always necessarily agree with them." Mercury looked up at the dark sky filled with stars, enjoying her walk with the Martian she never got much time to talk to.

"Very well put." Mars nodded her head.

"Speaking of the commander . . . aren't you supposed to be meeting up with her to go over some information or something right now?" Mercury raised an eyebrow.

"She can wait." Mars rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with Venus quite yet.

"Isn't being late what got you into this mess to begin with?" Mercury laughed.

"I suppose." Mars smiled.

"She'll have you patrolling the palace for a whole month by yourself if you keep this up."

"A month? I'm guessing more like a year." Mars laughed with her friend, chatting and joking with her as she patrolled the palace for a while longer with her.

An hour later Mars found herself at Venus' door, sighing as she knocked on the hard wood, entering when she heard a soft 'come in.'

"Well, well, well . . . look who decided to finally show up." Venus smiled when she saw her secret lover enter her room, standing up from her chair at her desk.

"You wanted to see me?" Mars said flatly, avoiding Minako's sultry gaze as the blonde made her way over the pyro.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you that you shouldn't keep your girlfriend waiting?" Venus smiled flirtatiously, loosely wrapping her arms around Mars' neck as she leaned in, pressing her lips against her lovers in a slow deep kiss. Venus pulled away frowning when she felt Mars become unresponsive, still standing stiffly in her doorway. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry. I thought I was speaking with my commander not my girlfriend seeing as I was ordered to be here." Mars glared at the blonde.

"Are you seriously mad about that?" The blonde frowned, stepping back. "You know I can't show you any type of favoritism. If someone finds out about us . . ."

"I'm not asking for favoritism, but people are noticing that you're being harsher with me than anyone else."

"Mars, I -"

"And I'm sure my twelve hour shift conveniently gave you plenty of time to 'go over reports' with that guard." Mars felt her anger and jealousy come to a boiling point having spent the whole day thinking about the blonde's exchange and attitude.

"Wait. What?" Venus knit her eyebrows in confusion, trying to grasp what Mars was really upset about. "What guard?"

"The one whose puddle of drool you were practically drowning in before the meeting started." Mars walked past the blonde, putting her hands on her desk, concentrating on the dark wood to try to calm herself down.

"You mean Markus?" Venus raised an eyebrow, following her girlfriend.

"Yeah. Markus. The one you were flirting with. Or do you flirt with so many guards that you've lost track?" Mars scowled, digging her nails into the wood.

"What!? I wasn't flirting with him! Or any one else for that matter!" Venus felt her anger bubble up in her chest at the Martian's accusation. "Why would you think that?"

"Because it's true!" Mars snapped, turning around to come face to face with a very upset Venusian. "I saw you! I saw how he looked at you and how you laughed and flipped your hair!"

"You're mad because I laughed and flipped my hair!? Since you saw the interaction I'm assuming you also saw me step away from him when he got too close or were you too blinded by jealousy to notice that part!?" Venus got closer to Mars, her voice raising with every word she spoke, her anger rivaling the Martians.

"I did, but -"

"Did you not notice me distancing myself from him politely? Should I have told him 'fuck off, I have a girlfriend and she's standing right there'? I can't just tell someone I'm with you to make them back off of me! Do you think that little of me? Do you really think I would be swayed so easily by some slime ball?"

"No, I just -"

"No, you're done talking." Venus interrupted Mars once again, pushing her hard enough to send her stumbling back onto the edge of the bed. The blonde walked up to her speechless girlfriend, straddling her waist, running her hand up the back of her neck, and gripping her raven locks lightly. "I think you misunderstood me that night." Mars looked up at Venus with questioning eyes, unsure as to where her devious girlfriend was going with this. "When I told you that you're fucking mine . . ." Venus trailed her finger tips from the back of the Martian's neck up to her face, running her thumb slowly across Mars' lower lip to her cheek. "I meant that I'm fucking yours too."

Any response Mars had was gone when Venus leaned in, capturing her lips in a searing kiss and just like that all of her anger was completely abandoned as she ran her hands up the back of Minako's thighs. "All mine?" Mars asked with a smirk as she pulled away for air, grabbing Venus' firm ass, and pulling her impossibly closer to her.

"Mhmmm." Venus practically purred into Mars' ear, biting her earlobe as she arched into her lover. "All yours." Venus slowly kissed down to Mars' jaw. "Every . . ." She kissed down to her neck, sucking on the soft skin. "Last . . ." She bit Mars' neck. "Inch." Venus grabbed one of Mars' other hands, guiding it up under shirt until Mars' hand rested on one of her perfect breasts.

Mars was strong, but she was never strong enough to resist her girlfriend especially when she was being so . . . persuasive. Unable to hold herself back the pyro quickly flipped them over so she was on top of her blonde haired goddess, kissing her deeply while she rubbed her thumb over Venus' nipple and massaging her breast. Venus bit down on Mars' lower lip, tugging down as she ran her hand up and under the back of the Martian's shirt, lightly scratching her way back down to her lower back.

The blonde let out a soft moan when Mars turned her attention to her neck, lifting up the blonde's shirt and exposing her breasts while Venus slipped her hand into the back of Mars' underwear, gripping her ass, and pulling her closer. Venus was about to protest when she felt Mars' mouth leave her neck, but was deeply satisfied when her lover turned her attention onto her breasts, taking her nipple into her mouth, lightly grazing it with her teeth while her other hand massaged her other breast, making sure it got just as much attention.

"Reiko." Venus moaned out her lovers name, arching her back when Mars flicked her tongue just right against her nipple. Mars smiled against her lovers skin, pleased at the sounds she could emit from Venus' perfect lips which began to pout when she pulled away only to rip off the blonde's shirt before taking off her own and throwing both items in random directions.

Unable to stay away for long Mars found her lips pressing against Venus' ribs, kissing down to her tight stomach with her raven strands trailing not far behind her mouth. Soft moans and gasps escaped Venus' lips as Mars trailed her kisses further and further down, until she was kissing the blonde's hip right above the line of of her skirt. Venus' gripped the back of Mars' hair tightly, pushing her hips up, urging her to go further, but Mars denied her request choosing to bite the skin on Venus' hip lightly before pulling away instead.

"Reiko!" Venus pouted, shifting further up the bed, hoping for Mars to get the hint.

"You won't be needing those." Mars smirked, grabbing Venus' panties and skirt at the hem, yanking them down so hard it caused the blonde to giggle and slide back into her original position.

"And you . . ." Venus sat up so she could kiss Mars' stomach, feeling the muscles twitch under her lips as she gripped Mars' skirt and panties in her hands, yanking them down just as hard as Mars did with hers. "definitely won't be needing those."

Mars let out a soft moan as Venus kissed down to below her belly button, dragging her teeth across the skin before reaching her destination.

"Minako." Mars moaned out, her legs going so weak she almost fell over when Venus dipped her tongue into her lover's folds, massaging her tongue against Mars' clit slowly. Hearing her girlfriend moan out her actual name just turned Venus on even more as she gripped Mars' ass firmly in her hands, keeping the raven haired girl in place as she continued her slow tantalizing ministrations.

When Venus felt Mars' legs start to buckle she smirked to herself, giving the raven haired girl one last slow lick before she stood up to meet her questioning dark eyes.

"H-hey!" Mars protested, her breathing was ragged and heavy from the horrible ache between her legs that only Venus could take care of.

"You were late." Venus smiled at her Martian.

"Minako, not this agai-" Venus silenced Mars with a slow deep kiss before pulling away again with a mischievous glint in her blue eyes.

"I told you what would happen if you were late again." Venus suddenly threw her girlfriend onto her bed, crawling on top of her slowly. Venus kissed up Mars' stomach, up to her ribs, and then briefly taking the Martian's nipple into her mouth, flicking her tongue across it before she kissed her way up to Mars' neck until she reached her final destination. "I told you . . ." Venus whispered seductively into her lover's ear as she grabbed a cloth by her bed. "that you would be . . ." The blonde started wrapping the cloth around both of Mars' wrists. "severely . . ." She tied the knot slowly, binding Mars' wrists together above her head. " _punished."_ Venus emphasized the word punished with a hard tug on the cloth, making sure Mars would not escape her tonight.

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 **AN: Well there it is folks. I thought I would throw in a little bit of a lemon to make up for my horribly late update. Oh and do you see that little button down there that says review? It would be awesome if you clicked on it and let me know what you think. I love hearing your guys' feedback :D**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: It's been a crazy long time since I've updated, but once again I am in no way abandoning this story. I love it too much to do that. Time just hasn't permitted me to write like I would like to. Anyways I hope there are still some people interested in this story and will continue to read it. It's only about halfway done so there is still a lot more to come :) This chapter was inspired by three songs really. Haunted by Evanescence (old as fuck, I know haha), Make Me Cry by Noah Cyrus, and Jolene covered by Miley Cyrus. Don't know what inspired this sudden Cyrus family love, but when inspiration hits I don't question it. Anyways, if you're still reading this story I hope you enjoy the new chapter and leave me your thoughts at the end.**

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 **Chapter 14: Don't Ever Fucking Forget**

The sun flooded in through Rei's windows causing the still slumbering fire senshi to stir. Rei wasn't one to skip her chores and sleep in, but today she felt no desire to wake up after the night she had. For now she wanted to stay in her dreams away from the real world, but things seldom went her way these days.

"Ughhh . . ." Rei groaned as her eyes fluttered open, squinting when the sun pierced her eyes. She rolled onto her side to block the blaring sunlight, but jumped when she rolled onto her wounded arm. "Fuck." She hissed as she sat up inspecting her freshly stitched arm, letting out a relieved breath when she realized she didn't rip anything. "At least something went right . . ." She mumbled, putting her head in her hands as the memories from the night before and her dream came flooding back into her head. She sat there for a moment with her eyes closed tightly, trying to clear her head of those thoughts that she swore she would keep out no matter what the cost. _'I can't keep doing this . . . She doesn't feel the same way for me that I feel for her . . . right? I mean if she did she would say something . . . but if she didn't she wouldn't have kissed me back . . .'_ Rei let out a sigh, flopping onto her back, and covering her eyes with her hands to hide from the sunshine that seemed to be mocking her. "What do I do?" She asked out loud as if someone would reply and give her all of the answers she needed.

She laid there for a moment, indulging in the memories of her dreams, but jolted back up when she felt another presence. The goosebumps and the chills running down her spine were almost instant. Her heart rate quickened to a dangerous pace as she stood up, looking left and right. "Who's there?" The fire senshi tried to put on a brave face to hide something she seldom ever felt. Fear.

She stood there completely still, trying to listen for any hint of who was intruding in her house. She started to sweat and her breathing came out ragged as fear gripped her entire being. "I know you're there. Come out now and I'll let you off easy."

Rei could have sworn she heard a soft laugh, but the second she thought she heard it it was gone. "Alright. Have it your way then!" Rei kneeled down and lifted her blanket hanging off the side of her bed to check underneath to find absolutely nothing. She stood up, quickly turning around expecting to find something there, but was met with an empty room.

She slowly walked to her door, trying to steady her shaking hand as she reached for the handle, her heart pounding in her head as panic rose in her chest like bile. The inexplicable fear she was feeling was crippling and as a warrior of Mars she had always prided herself in being brave, but at this moment all she wanted to do was curl up and hide from whatever danger waited for her. She gulped, hiding her fear and opening the door with a stern look on her face to be met with an empty hallway. _'What in the fuck is going on!?'_

She looked both ways down the hallway and when she saw the coast was clear she transformed and held out her hand, trying to form her famous fire sword. "W-what the Hell . . .?" Mars' heart dropped into her stomach when she found her hand empty. She closed her eyes, furrowing her brow in concentration, trying to block out all of her feelings, trying to focus on the task again, but when she opened her eyes her trembling hand was still empty. "Shit . . ." Rei ran as fast as her legs would carry her down the stairs and into the kitchen, her eyes darting everywhere for what could be possibly doing this to her. When she reached her destination she grabbed the biggest knife she could find, searching her house for the intruder.

When she found another room empty she felt a small bit of relief that whatever was after her wasn't there, but despite her desire to go hide in her bedroom and call it a day she pressed on, heading outside to her meditation room. "Where the fuck are you . . .?" Rei said softly to herself as she quietly crept towards her destination. Her heart thrashed against her ribs as her hands got sweatier and sweatier, making it increasingly difficult to hold the knife.

As she was about to enter her meditation room Rei whipped around when she felt something touch her shoulder, slashing at the air.

"Whoah! Watch it!" Makoto grabbed Ami, yanking her girlfriend back before Rei sliced her.

"M-Makoto . . .? Ami?" Rei stuttered, a small sense of relief washing over her.

"What are you doing in your sailor senshi form? And why are you trying to cut people with that big ass knife . . .?" Makoto knit her brow in confusion.

"I-I . . . Th-There's something here . . . or was here . . ." Mars looked off to the side, obviously confused herself by what had just occurred. "And my fire sword . . . I couldn't form it!" Rei looked up at her friends, panic still obvious in her eyes.

"Where is it?" Ami stepped forward, looking around.

"I don't know. I couldn't find it." Rei looked down, gripping the knife tightly in her fist.

"We'll find it." Makoto nodded her head as she and Ami transformed.

Ami quickly formed a shield around her eyes, using her high tech to try to locate the presence of a monster while Makoto ran into Rei's meditation room spear in hand.

"I'm not picking anything up." Ami frowned as she looked around, trying to detect any heat signatures.

"It's all clear here." Makoto walked over to her friends.

"That's impossible . . . right?" Rei looked to her friends clearly confused. "I . . . I was so sure something was here. I know it was!" Mars stepped forward to grab Ami's arms, but stopped when she saw the blunette take a step back and glance at her knife.

"Oh . . . Uh sorry . . . Forgot I was holding it." Rei dropped the knife, taking a step back.

"Rei . . . Did you hit your head during the fight last night . . . " Ami looked worried at the fire senshi who was more frazzled than she had ever seen her.

"My head? No. Why?" Rei knit her brow in confusion, unable to understand why her friends weren't panicking too.

"Because you're acting strange Rei . . ." Makoto grabbed the fire senshi's arms. "There's nobody here . . . And I don't feel any evil presence."

"I know what I felt! I'm not crazy!" Rei pushed the Jovian's arms off of her.

"Hey now, no one here is calling you crazy Rei . . ." Makoto held up her hands.

"How about we go inside and I check you out your injuries." Ami smiled kindly, trying to calm the frantic fire senshi.

"Y-yeah. Okay." Rei nodded while Ami and Makoto shot each other a worried sideways glance before following the fire senshi.

Once they got inside Rei laid down on the couch and Ami took a seat next to her friend, using the scanner on her shield to check for any injuries, specifically to the head ,she didn't know about, but frowned when she found nothing. "Well Rei . . . you didn't sustain any blows to the head that would effect you like this . . ."

"Then what the Hell is going on?" The fire senshi looked up to her friend for answers.

"Well . . . this could possibly be from stress . . . We have an unknown enemy targeting us which could definitely cause some paranoia plus you have that whole thing with . . . well never mind." Ami blushed.

"What thing?" Rei sat up, raising an eyebrow.

"Does she really have to say it Rei?" Makoto sighed, crossing her arms. "You have that whole thing with Minako and Lucy going on which I'm sure is causing a lot of stress. Don't get me wrong. We believe you when you say you felt something, but all of this stress could be throwing your senses off. It's not a bad theory."

"You think that I had this episode because of stress?" Rei frowned, unconvinced.

"Has this happened before?" Ami tilted her head to the side.

"No . . . well actually yeah . . . kind of. Last time it was more fleeting." The miko furrowed her brow thoughtfully.

"Was this before or after the whole . . . Minako thing." Ami's cheeks turned slightly pink again. She wasn't one to get into others personal affair.

"After."

"Well then I think that is probably it. I wouldn't worry too much Rei. You just need to relax and not psyche yourself out." Makoto nodded with a smile. "Everything is going to be okay."

"Yeah . . . you guys are probably right. I was just being silly." Rei shook her head, smiling up at her friends. "Not that I'm not grateful for you guys showing up when you did, because I am, but what are you doing here anyways?"

"We just wanted to check up on you. You kind of darted off last night and I wanted to make sure your arm was properly taken care of." Ami smiled.

"You didn't trust me to take care of it?" Rei huffed, crossing her arms.

"Come on Rei . . . You aren't necessarily the best medic." Makoto laughed.

"Hey! I think I've stitched myself up enough to know how to do it properly at this point." Rei stuck her tongue out at her friends.

"Well we still worry anyways. The last thing we need is for you to get an infection and lose your arm." Makoto smiled cheekily.

"Gee thanks." Rei narrowed her eyes at the Jovian.

"How about we go back to our civilian form and get some shakes at the usual spot? We're supposed to meet up with Usagi and Minako. Getting out and relaxing will do you some good." Makoto sat down next to her friend.

"Minako . . .?" Rei blushed, remembering the night before. "I, um . . . don't-"

"We're not taking no for an answer." Makoto glared at the blushing miko.

"Alright . . . " Rei sighed.

"I'm bored." Usagi whined as she sat at a table with an unusually quiet love senshi.

"It's not my fault Makoto and Ami are late." Minako frowned, moving her straw around in her untouched strawberry shake.

"Do you want to go in the arcade and play some games?" The princess jumped up and down in her seat excitedly.

"I don't really feel like playing right now . . ." The love senshi sighed.

"You're usually more fun to be around Minako-chan. What's going on?" Usagi put her chin on her hand.

"Nothing." Minako shrugged. "I'm just . . . not very talkative today."

"Is it Rei-chan?" Usagi crossed her arms while Minako paused her slow stirring, looking down.

"No . . ."

"Yes it is. Mina-chan . . . what's going on?" Usagi reached across the table, grabbing her friends hand.

"Nothing is going on Usagi. I just . . . I don't know." Minako shook her head, biting her lower lip.

"Rei-chan is just being stubborn. I wish you two would just stop and realize that you . . ." Usagi trailed off, unsure if it was her place to tell Minako what her true feelings were.

"Realize what?" Minako looked up at her friend, confusion written in her eyes.

Usagi let out a sigh, being serious for once. "That you lo-"

"Sorry we're late." Makoto rubbed the back of her head, interrupting her two friends.

"What took you guys so long?" Usagi glared up at the Jovian.

"Usagi! Don't change the subject!" Minako glared at her princess.

"I uh . . ." Usagi blushed, unsure of how to continue when she saw the fire senshi walk in with Ami. "Rei-chan! I didn't know you were coming!" Usagi smiled, standing up to hug her guard.

"It was a last minute thing." Rei pulled away, looking over Usagi's shoulder to see Minako already sitting in the booth. "H-hey Minako." Rei smiled tentatively at the love senshi.

"Sorry guys. I have to go." Minako stood up, letting anger replace her sadness when she saw the girl that was plaguing her thoughts.

"But everyone just got here." Usagi pouted.

"Maybe we can hang out tomorrow or something." Minako smiled a small smile at her princess before looking over at Makoto and Ami. "See you guys later."

Rei stood there with her mouth hanging open, desperately trying to think of something she could say to make the love senshi stay, but Minako just brushed coldly past her without so much as a second glance. _'Don't go . . .'_

"What in the Hell did you do this time?" Makoto glared over at the fire senshi.

"I-I well . . ." Rei blusehd, rubbing the back of her head.

"Rei-chan!" Usagi stomped her foot, glaring at the Martian.

"Hey! She started this whole mess!" Rei glared back at her friends. "Why am I the bad guy all of a sudden?"

"I'd say you're both guilty." Ami sighed, sitting down.

"Me? Guilty? Definitley not." Rei crossed her arms as she sat down next to the blunette, her stubborn Martian heritage kicking in.

"Cause you would never do anything that could possibly be hurtful right?" Makoto rolled her eyes, sitting down next to Usagi.

"Nope." Rei stuck her nose up, her pride outweighing any guilt she could possibly feel.

"You're an idiot." Makoto sighed, but decided to drop the subject so they could have a nice day.

 _-Flashback-_

Mars kicked some sand around in the training pit, impatiently waiting for her secret lover who was already nearly an hour late to arrive. _'What in the Hell is taking that damned woman so long?'_ Flashes of the guard flirting with the blonde pierced her brain, but Mars was quick to push them back out. _'I'm just being foolish. She wouldn't do that to me . . .right?'_

"U-Um excuse me?" Came an unfamiliar voice causing the Martian to whip around. There standing a couple feet away from her was a girl about her heigh with long flowing orange hair and light brown eyes dressed in white and silver, the moons colors, with a rapier on her hip.

"Yes?" Mars raised an eyebrow.

"Y-you probably don't know me, b-but . . ." The girl cleared her throat, standing up straighter as if she suddenly gained some confidence. "I'm Asuna Yuuki. I'm one of the commanders for the special assault team."

"Special assault team?"

"Oh well basically we will be sent out with you and the other sailor senshi in case of an attack on any planet." The commander blushed.

"Interesting. I didn't know we would have back up. That's good to know." Mars nodded her head while the other girl shifted from foot to foot. "Was there something you came here to tell me?" The Martian sighed, already growing irritated with this girl.

"I . . . well . . . I heard you and Commander Venus were the first and only to encounter those . . . monsters. I also saw how you fought those Venusian soldiers and I was just hoping that you would . . ." Asuna bit her lower lip, trying to find her confidence again. "I was hoping you would train me." She finally spat out.

"Train you? I don't think that-" Mars started, but Asuna prepared herself for the possibility of the fire senshi sending her away.

"Please Mars!" Asuna grabbed Mars' hands, a very bold move for anyone to make with a Martian. "I want to protect the kingdom and all of the others just like you and the other senshi! I don't have powers, but I want to be useful against whatever waits. I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

Mars opened her mouth, but closed it, debating on what to do. _'I suppose there would be no harm in training her especially if she will be on the battlefield with me and the other senshi.'_

Unbeknownst to Mars Venus had strolled in to the training grounds only to see the orange haired girl desperately clutching her girlfriends hands. The blonde immediately took a step back to watch the interaction. _'Tread very carefully Rei . . .'_ Venus grit her teeth.

"I . . . Well . . . Sure. Okay. I'll do it." Mars sighed.

"Really? Thank you so much!" The orange haired girl let out an excited squee, pulling the fire senshi into a hug while a very pissed Venusian stood watching from afar. "Can we start now?" Asuna let go of Mars while Venus left the training pit, too pissed to deal with her lover.

"I can't right now. I'm supposed to uh . . . meet someone." Mars rubbed the back of her head, looking over Asuna's shoulder to see if the blonde had arrived yet.

"Oh, well that's fine. I didn't know you were seeing someone . . ." Asuna blushed, looking down.

"I-I'm not." Mars waved her hands, quick to cover her bases. "I was supposed to spar with someone but they're running late."

"Oh, well that's a -" Asuna started with a smile.

"I should actually go find them right now just to make sure everything is alright. I'll let you know when I'm free to train you." Mars gave Asuna a small smile before she made her retreat from the training grounds in search for her girlfriend.

Mars walked the hallways looking left and right in hopes to see a glimpse of blonde hair. _'I know she's around here somewhere.'_ When she got to the Venusians' room she pushed the door only to be met with resistance. _'It's locked?'_ Rei felt an irrational wave of jealousy take over at the thought of what she could be doing in there. "Venus?" Mars pounded on the door to be met with nothing but silence. She even put her ear to the door and heard no movement. _'Maybe she's no here or maybe she's . . . no . . . don't think that way.'_ Mars chided herself as she moved on to the garden.

While the Martian was walking along next to the high bushes that led to the flower garden she suddenly stopped in her tracks feeling an odd presence she couldn't put her finger on. It made her hot Martian blood suddenly run cold and made every hair on the back of her neck stand at attention. "What -"

Before Mars could even begin to interpret the feeling a hand suddenly shot out from the hedges and yanked her in to a secret section of the garden hidden by the hedges. "Hey!" Mars tried to draw her sword, but her wrist was grabbed and she was flipped onto her back, knocking the wind out of her.

Mars laid there, her vision blurry from the knock to her head and the bright sun shining into her eyes. She felt someone straddle her waist and the sun was replaced by shimmering blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. "V-Venus." Mars' vision and breath slowly came back to her only for Venus to steal it away again with a searing kiss.

Mars leaned up, starting to run her hands up the back of Venus' thighs locked in a deep and sudden kiss only for the blonde grab her hands and pin them above her head while she pulled away, a fire burning in those bright blue orbs.

"Who the fuck was that?" Venus glared down at the confused Martian.

"Huh?" Mars looked up at the blonde with clouded over eyes.

"Don't play dumb." Venus growled, gripping the back of Mars' hair and tugging hard, turning the fires senshi on even more. "That girl that was all over you. Who the fuck was she?"

"Oh." It all clicked in Mars' head.

"Yeah. Oh." Venus' grip tightened on Mars' hair.

"You were late." Mars glared defiantly back up at her commander.

"So you decided to fuck around with-" Mars' laughter interrupted the jealous Venusian's rampage. "What's so fucking funny?"

"Do you want to fight me? Or fuck me?" Mars smirked up at the blonde.

"Both." Venus growled, but let out a surprised gasp when Mars suddenly flipped them over and pressed her lips against the blonde's, pinning the commander's hands above her head.

"That was Asuna." Mars pulled away, smiling down at the blonde glaring up at her. "She's a commander for one of the special assault teams that will be fighting with us. She wants me to train her and I agreed. That's it."

"Oh." Venus blushed.

"Yeah. Oh." Mars mocked her girlfriend, making the blonde glare at her again.

"Well it's obvious she wants you." Venus retorted.

"And it's obvious I have no interest in her. I'm fucking yours." Mars let go of the Venusian's wrists and lifted her arm scarred from the Venus love me chain to show proof of her statement to her lover. Venus looked over to the hearts on the Martian's wrist, but also noticed Mars had given her an opening so naturally she took it and flipped them back around.

"Yeah you are." Venus grabbed the front of Mars' shirt, pulling her torso up so the miko was in a sitting position, face to face with her lover. "And don't ever fucking forget." Venus said in a low dangerous tone before she crashed her lips into the Martian's.

Mars was all too happy to comply, kissing back just as hard, wrapping her arms around the blonde, pulling her as close to her as humanly possible. The blonde's hips started moving on their own accord, grinding into the warrior beneath her as the fire that started in her chest settled down into the pit of her stomach, burning hotter and hotter by the second.

"Minako . . ." Mars pulled away to catch her breath, using the blonde's actual name to get her attention, but was met with clouded over blue eyes and swollen pink lips.

"Yes Reiko?" Minako replied breathlessly.

"I . . ." Rei blushed, looking down trying to find the courage to say what she wanted to say. _'How do I tell this goddess that I . . . I love her when I can barely admit it to myself.'_

"Reiko I want you." Minako practically moaned out, biting her lower lip as her libido took over and she ground her hips into the Martians'.

"M-Minako. What if someone sees us?" Rei turned a brighter red, but all thoughts of confessing her love to the blonde left when Minako grabbed one of her hands, running it up under her shirt to cover her breast.

Minako leaned forward so their lips were just centimeters apart and Rei could feel her hot breath on her lips. "Then we'll tell them to leave." The blonde said softly before capturing her girlfriend's lips in another hot slow kiss that made all the protest Rei could possibly have die in her throat.

 _-End Flashback-_

The latest flashback had Rei reeling and it took everything she had to stay away from the blonde after that one, but she let her stubborn side take over. _'Let the past stay in the past.'_ Rei repeated that in her head over and over again like a mantra to keep her sanity while she swept the stairs to the shrine a couple days later, but stopped when she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. She turned around to find a very pissed off Lucy.

"Why the fuck haven't you called or sent me a text?" The pink haired girl put her hands on her hips.

"I . . . I uh thought you wanted space or something." Rei stammered, taken completely off guard.

"What in the world made you think that?"

"Well . . . the last time we talked you were pretty heated and you didn't contact me after that so . . ." The Martian trailed off, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot under her girlfriend's scrutinizing gaze.

"So you don't try to talk to me at all? Maybe I was waiting for you to say something to me." Lucy glared at the miko.

"I-I'm sorry Lucy . . . I-"

"You were hanging out with Minako weren't you." The pink haired girl spat out.

"Minako? What? No!" Rei held up her hands defensively. "Her and I barely even talk anymore." Rei looked off to the side.

"Bullshit." Lucy stepped up to her girlfriend.

"Why are you so obsessed with Minako and me?" Rei sighed. _'This is the last thing I need right now.'_

"Because I know her kind. She only wants what she can't have. She had her chance and she ruined it." Lucy frowned.

"Lucy . . ."

"Tell me you don't love her." Lucy grabbed Rei's shirt, her eyes welling up with tears.

"L-Lucy I . . ." Rei stuttered, interrupted by Lucy pressing her lips against her own.

"Please Rei . . ." Lucy pulled away, looking into the fire senshi's dark eyes. "Just say it."

"I . . ." Rei gulped, finding the words hard to say. _'Don't ever fucking forget.'_ Minako's words rang through Rei's ears, but she pushed those thoughts from her mind, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I don't love her Lucy. I love you." The words felt so wrong coming out of her mouth and she felt as if she had rocks in her stomach.

"Good." Lucy smiled. "So you won't have any problem staying away from her then right?"

"What?" Rei felt her heart drop.

"Stay away from her Rei. If you love me you'll do it. I mean if you really don't care about her it shouldn't be a problem." The pink haired girl played with Rei's shirt.

"Yeah. Of course." A small smile was all Rei was able to muster. _'Don't ever fucking forget.'_ The words rang through her head again, torturing her. _'Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!'_ Rei tried to look as normal as possible as she fought herself internally.

"Good." Lucy smiled, kissing her girlfriend again. "Now ditch your chores and lets go see a movie or something."

"I can't just skip my chores." Rei sighed.

"Fine. I'll help you so we can speed them up and then we'll go out on a date. Deal?" The pink haired girl held out her hand to the miko.

"Deal." Rei smiled, shaking her hand.

Meanwhile Minako chewed on her lower lip, her new bad habit, as she headed towards Rei's place. _'Maybe we should be adults about this and just talk . . . There has to be a reason why we keep having these flashbacks . . .There has to be a reason why she did what she did . ._ . _right?'_

Doubt filled the blonde's gut as she reached the shrine, taking in a brave breath to face the problem head on, stepping up onto the first step of the Hikawa shrine, but distant laughter made her stop in her steps. She looked up to see Rei laughing with Lucy as they swept the steps and her heart dropped to the floor. _'Of course . . .'_ The blonde looked down bitterly, clenching her hands into a tight fist. _'How could I be so stupid?'_

Minako took a step back, glaring up at the raven haired girl as she flirted with her girlfriend, playfully ruffling her pink hair. "Liar." Minako said softly before she turned on her heals and walked away with tears pricking her eyes.

* * *

 **AN: Well, that's it folks! Hopefully you liked the new chapter in all its weird creepy, angsty, fluffy, depressing glory. Sorry for any grammatical mistakes or whatever. I didn't get much time to proof read and make corrections. New chapter will be coming soon seeing as it's already mostly written. Pretty please leave a review and let me know what you think. I always love hearing from you guys :D**


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: First of all I hope you all had an amazing Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever the hell you do during the holidays :) Second of all this chapter turned out to be a hell of a lot longer than I initially planned for it to be, but hopefully you guys enjoy the lengthiness :D I apologize in advance for any mistakes and any parts that don't flow perfectly. I've deleted, re-written, and edited this chapter a billion times. This entire chapter is completely inspired by the song Colors (stripped.) by Halsey as you can probably already tell by the title. The song in the beginning is a song called Cake by Melanie Martinez. I fully encourage you to listen to both songs :) Anyways, enough jibber jabber! On to the new chapter! Hope you enjoy! :D**

 _You're dripping like a saturated sunrise_  
 _You're spilling like an overflowing sink_  
 _You're ripped at every edge but you're a masterpiece_  
 _And now i'm tearing through the pages and the ink  
_ - _Halsey 'Colors'  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Colors**

Minako sighed as she settled onto her towel, moving her body around to dig herself into the sand effectively spreading out the lump of sand beneath her towel that had been pushing into her lower back. It was a beautiful sunny day, but the blonde wore a frown as if it had been raining all day as she put her headphones into her ears, pushing play on her ipod.

 **Your skin is warm like an oven**  
 **Your kiss is sugary sweet**  
 **Your fingers feel like cotton**  
 **When you put your arms around me**  
 **I feel like I'm just missing**  
 **Something whenever you leave**  
 **We've got all the ingredients**  
 **Except you loving me**  
 **And respectfully...**

 _'Three weeks . . . It's been three weeks since the . . . incident happened.'_ She thought sourly to herself. _'Two and a half weeks since I've seen Rei. I mean sure I've been avoiding her like the plague . . . or has she been avoiding me? Every time I decide to finally hang out with the gang she's conveniently busy. What gives her the right to dodge me? She's the one who kissed me out of nowhere and then acted like nothing happened the second her girlfriend showed up not me. Ugh . . . her girlfriend . . . Lucy . . . I can't stand that girl. What the Hell does Rei see in her anyways?'_

Minako felt irritated just thinking about Rei's actions or lack there of the last couple of weeks and turned that irritation towards her friends who were running late as always. She grabbed her phone, pulling her sunglasses up as she sent a quick text to Usagi. _'Hurry up!'_

She placed her phone back down and not one minute later she heard it buzzing in her purse, quickly picking it up to see her princess' response. _'Just woke up! Sorry Mina-chan! I'll be there in thirty minutes!'_

 **I'm not a piece of cake**  
 **For you to just discard**  
 **While you walk away**  
 **With the frosting of my heart**  
 **So I'm taking back**  
 **What's mine, you'll miss**  
 **The slice of heaven that**  
 **I gave to you last night**

"Typical." Minako grumbled to herself, not bothering to reply as she tossed her phone carelessly back into her purse.

"I thought we all agreed we were going to stay out of this whole thing between Minako and Rei." Makoto sighed as she climbed the endless stairs of the Hikawa Shrine with Usagi and Ami.

"We are!" Usagi insisted with a smile as she shoved her phone back into her pocket. "We're just giving them a little . . . push!"

"More like a shove if you ask me." Ami mumbled as they approached the miko's front door.

Rei laid in bed, her eyes shut tightly, ipod blasting in her ears, and her brow furrowed as she tried to block out thoughts of the blonde. _'It's been three weeks . . . If Minako didn't hate me before she definitely hates me now. I just can't trust myself around her . . . and I promised Lucy after our little fight that we would work on our relationship and that I would stay away from Minako, but. . .I didn't think it would feel like this, like a piece of myself is missing, but I want things to work with Lucy . . . right?'_

 **You smell just like vanilla**  
 **You taste like buttercream**  
 **You're filling up my senses**  
 **With empty calories**  
 **I feel like I'm just missing**  
 **Something whenever you leave**  
 **We've got all the ingredients**  
 **Except you needing me**  
 **So respectfully...**

 _'But it's not like I can stay away from Minako for long though . . . '_ Rei let out an irritated sound, rolling onto her side. _'S_ he _is my commander and I have responsibilities, but it's not like I can tell Lucy that. Ugh! Why did I have to complicate things? Why did I have to kiss her? Why did she have to kiss me back . . .? Usually I would go to the flames for comfort, but I can't even do that anymore! All they do is show me images of a beautiful past life where Minako and I were together . . .'_

 **I'm not a piece of cake**  
 **For you to just discard**  
 **While you walk away**  
 **With the frosting of my heart**  
 **So I'm taking back**  
 **What's mine, you'll miss**  
 **The slice of heaven that**  
 **I gave to you last night**

Before Rei could delve any deeper into her doubt and self loathing she heard a loud pounding through her blaring music, making her sit upright in bed, pulling out her headphones.

"Reiiiiii-chan!" Usagi yelled while she pounded on the miko's front door.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing dumpling head?" Rei growled, yanking her door open almost to have the blonde's hand collide with her head.

"You wouldn't respond to any of my texts." Usagi pouted.

"Did you ever think that gee maybe I was busy?" Rei sent her famous glare at her princess.

"You're always busy running the shrine these days. You need a break." The blonde crossed her arms.

"Usagi-"

"She's right." Makoto interrupted before Rei could scold their princess.

"Not you too Makoto." Rei sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Please just come to the beach with us for a little bit. We all miss hanging out with you. We never see you anymore." Usagi put on her best puppy dog face.

"I see you guys like twice a week at least."

"Please!" The blonde insisted.

"This is just probably another one of your little ploys to make me see Minako." Rei glared at Usagi, causing the blonde to start sweating. _'Damn your intuition Rei-chan.'_

"I don't see her here do you?" Ami raised an eyebrow.

Rei tore her scrutinizing gaze from a very fearful moon princess to look over at Ami. "So this isn't a trick . . .?"

"No Rei. This isn't a trick. Your friends just want you to go to the beach with them and enjoy the nice weather, but if you think that little of us then by all means stay home sulking." Makoto added in before turning around and heading back towards the stairs with Ami following suit.

"You guys!" Usagi stomped her foot, turning to her retreating guards.

"Fine . . . I'll go. Let me just put on my bikini and text Lucy so she doesn't flip her shit on me." Rei sighed, heading back inside, failing to see the surprised look on Usagi's face.

"It worked . . .? It worked you guys!" Usagi beamed, running up to her friends.

"She's not going to be happy when she realizes we lied." Makoto sighed, already getting a headache just thinking about it.

"She'll thank us one day." Usagi smiled, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"Alright. I'm ready." Rei came outside sporting a red bikini top with little short shorts. "I texted Lucy and she said she's going to meet us there."

"Oh?" Usagi gulped. "That's great." The blonde plastered a fake smile on her face to hide her panic. _'This might not go as well as I hoped . . .'_

When they got to the beach Usagi searched around, looking for where Minako had said she would be, but couldn't seem to find her anywhere.

"Why are you being so picky dumpling head? Just choose a spot and lay your towel down." Rei growled.

"We uh . . . we need to find the right spot and angle so the sun hits us um . . . just right." Usagi laughed nervously while Rei just narrowed her eyes at her nervous friend.

"You're acting weird. I'm setting up here." Rei placed her towel on the warm sand, sliding her shorts down her legs before she laid down on her stomach while her friends hesitantly followed suit.

"There you guys are! What the hell took you so long?" Came the voice Rei wasn't expecting to hear.

"We uh . . . had to stop to um get . . ." Usagi stuttered while Rei turned over onto her back to make sure she wasn't hearing things.

"Rei?" Minako raised an eyebrow while Rei looked up at the blonde in awe. The sun shone behind the dripping wet Venusian making her glow and seem almost god like in her white bikini that made her skin look even more tan.

Rei sat there with her mouth hanging open looking up the blonde's long toned legs to her perfect hips, her tight stomach and then her eyes landed on a water droplet sliding down the blonde's cleavage and Rei's mouth went dry. _'Oh how I wish I was that droplet of water . . . wait! No! This is exactly why I've been avoiding her . . .'_

"Hey there guys!" Came another voice Rei definitely didn't want to hear right now.

"H-hey Lucy!" Rei scrambled to her feet, turning her attention to her girlfriend, her face beat red.

"Sorry it took me so long." Lucy pecked her girlfriend on the lips before she laid her towel next to the miko's.

"I'm glad you could make it Lucy." Minako smiled the fake smile she had grown so accustomed to wearing before moving her towel, settling herself next to Usagi. "I'm going to kill you." Minako growled under her breath.

"Mina-chan . . ." Usagi started to sweat seeing the death glare the other blonde was giving her.

"I didn't know you were going to be here Nina" Lucy sent her girlfriend a pointed glare, leaving Rei to squirm uncomfortably.

"Usagi has always been terrible at letting people in on her plans. Isn't that right dumpling head?" Minako smiled fakely, pinching Usagi's leg, making the moon princess yelp.

"S-sorry . . . must have slipped my mind." Usagi laughed nervously.

"Well anyways I was happy when I got the text from Rei that everyone was going to the beach. I haven't seen you guys since that masquerade. That was some crazy shit . . ." Lucy commented as she took off her shorts and shirt to reveal a black bikini.

"Yeah, sure was." Minako glared over at Rei before laying down to let the warm rays of the sun bathe her.

"Thank god those sailor scouts showed up." Lucy laid down, closing her eyes while the group felt a small sense of pride. "That blonde one, what's her name . . . oh Sailor Venus seemed kind of crazy though."

Minako grit her teeth, balling her hand into a tight fist. _'She's been here all of one minute and I already want to punch her.'_ "Crazy? How so?" Minako tried her best not to look as pissed as she was.

"Didn't you see what she did to that thing with a broken bottle?" Lucy laughed.

"She saved you." Minako glared over at Rei's girlfriend.

"My Reiko saved me." Lucy smiled, grabbing the raven haired girl's hand who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

"I'm going to go swimming." Rei suddenly jumped up, unable to bear the tension, heading over to Usagi. "You guys should come with." The miko glared down at Usagi, Makoto, and Ami.

"I -" Ami started.

"It will be fun." Rei growled, grabbing Usagi and Ami's hands while Makoto begrudgingly followed.

"Aren't you going to go with them?" Minako sat up and raised an eyebrow, looking over at Lucy while her friends went into the water.

"No. I can't stand the beach." Lucy replied, taking out the fake tone in her voice she saved for Rei and the others.

"Then why did you come?" Minako let her irritation slip through.

"Because I don't trust you." Lucy smiled her wolfish smile at the blonde.

"The feeling is mutual." Minako laid back down, putting her sunglasses back over her eyes.

"I just think it's kind of funny how you're always following Rei around like a lost puppy."

"We have the same friends. We're bound to run into each other. I would hardly call that following her around like a lost puppy." Minako scoffed.

"But when Sailor Venus showed up and my Reiko was in trouble you were nowhere to be found."

"Okay?" Minako tried to hide the panic in her voice. _'There's no way she knows . . .'_

"And you know you two do look a lot alike . . ." Lucy looked over to the blonde who seemed calm and collected on the surface.

"What are you trying to say Lucy? Is this going to end with some stupid blonde joke?" Minako tried to play off her panic as irritation.

"Don't try to bullshit me." Lucy glared over at the sunbathing senshi. "I'm on to you."

"I have no idea what the fuck you're talking about Lucy. It sounds like you're the crazy one." Minako stood up, stretching before she tossed her sunglasses off to the side and smiled at Rei's pissed off girlfriend. "You know . . . you should really see a doctor about these delusions." And with that Minako walked to where her friends seemed to be in a heated conversation in the water.

"N-now Rei-chan. Don't do anything you're going to regret." Usagi whined while she was being dragged along with Ami.

"Oh, I won't regret this." Rei pushed both Usagi and Ami into a wave, sending them crashing into the water.

"You know that won't work with me right?" Makoto raised an eyebrow when Rei turned around to look at her.

"You're an asshole. You fucking lied! I expected this from Usagi, but not you! And especially not you Ami!" Rei turned back to Ami who finally got to her feet.

"Rei . . ." Ami started.

"You guys had no right to -"

"To what? Get our team back together which is falling apart, because of some personal business between you and Minako?" Makoto crossed her arms. "You guys do whatever you want, but there is a real threat out there and you guys are acting like children. We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves like this. We need to be focused on whatever the fuck is after us." Makoto glared at the raven haired girl who stood there sheepishly.

"I just . . ." Rei started.

"You just got hurt Rei. I get it. We all do. But you don't get to just disappear whenever you want. We need you!" Makoto stalked towards the dumbstruck Martian.

"Not Minako." Rei scoffed.

"Especially Minako you idiot!" Makoto shoved Rei into the water.

"Hey!" Rei jumped back up only to be shoved right back into the water by the tall brunette.

"The first one was for me . . . the second one was for Ami." Makoto grinned down at the fuming Martian.

"Not funny." Rei glared up at Makoto.

"Get her again for me!" Usagi cheered behind the safety of Makoto.

"Dumpling head." Rei growled as she started to get up to chase the blonde.

"I'm heading out." Came Minako's voice behind the group of girls, effectively stopping whatever free for all was about to happen.

"But we just got here." Usagi whined, turning around to face the Venusian.

"Well then maybe you should have been on time." The love senshi glared at their princess. "Anyways, we need to have a meeting at Rei's place . . . tonight."

"What? Why is it always my place?" Rei sighed, but stopped complaining the second she saw the look on her commander's face.

"Rei's place. 0900." Minako sent one last glare at the fire senshi, turning around to leave, but stopped before she got too far away, looking at Rei behind her shoulder. "And make sure your girlfriend isn't there. That's an order." And with that Minako was gone.

"Maybe we shouldn't have left those two alone." Makoto rubbed the back of her head.

"You think?" Rei glared at Makoto before she went out to her girlfriend. "Lucy . . . I swear I didn't know she was going to be here . . ." The flustered Martian started to explain the second she reached her girlfriend.

"Yeah Rei, I'm sure you had no idea." Lucy glared up at the miko, standing up, and grabbing her towel. "You made me look so fucking stupid."

"You didn't -"

"I don't want to hear it Rei. Get your shit together or I'm gone." Lucy put her shorts back on, then her shirt.

"Where are you going?" Rei tried to grab her girlfriend's hand only to have Lucy yank it out of her grasp.

"I fucking hate the beach and I fucking hate that girl. It's me or her." The pink haired girl crossed her arms.

"I already told you I choose you . . ." Rei said softly with not much conviction.

"Clearly you haven't chosen me. I don't want to see her face again." Lucy's death stare bored straight through Rei.

"You won't. I-I'll tell her -"

"Don't tell her anything. Just stay the fuck away from her like you told me you would." Lucy coldly put her sunglasses on her face.

"Lucy -"

"I'll see you later Rei." And with that Lucy was gone leaving a very conflicted miko in her wake.

 _'Don't ever fucking forget.'_ Venus' words clung to Rei and she couldn't shake them off. _'I couldn't if I tried.'_ The Martian thought grumpily to herself before grabbing her clothes and heading back to the shrine.

Nine o'clock rolled around and everyone was sitting around Rei's living room table nervously waiting for Minako who had yet to arrive.

"She told everyone to be here at nine and she's late." Rei growled, looking up at the ticking clock, trying to hide how anxious she was. _'Clearly you haven't chosen me.'_ Those words kept replaying though Rei's head with flashes of Minako and her playing in the background over and over again. _'I can't keep thinking like this . . . I . . . I have to be firm and put my foot down . . .'_

"I'm five minutes late. Chill." Came Minako's voice as she breezed into Rei's house like she owned the place.

"Why did you call this meeting?" Rei crossed her arms, trying to shake those thoughts out of her head.

"Because we have a serious fucking problem." The blonde glared over at Rei.

"What's going on Minako? Did you figure out who is after us?" Makoto stood up worriedly.

"No. It's a whole different problem . . . Lucy knows." Minako clenched her fist.

"Lucy?" Rei raised an eyebrow. "What exactly does she know?"

"She knows I'm Sailor Venus! And if she figured that out it definitely won't take her long to find out about you guys." Minako's blue eyes pierced Rei's confused amethyst ones.

"How in the world did you come to that conclusion? Is this because she said she thought Sailor Venus is crazy?" Rei rolled her eyes.

"She fucking told me!" Minako couldn't hide her panic anymore.

"When did that happen?" Ami looked confused. "What did she say?"

"She said she thought it was funny how when Rei was in danger Sailor Venus saved her and I was nowhere to be found and went on to say how much we look alike."

"That doesn't mean she knows you're -"

"She knows." Venus gritted her teeth. "You need to break things off with her Rei. She could expose us and we would be in some real serious shit then."

Rei was quiet for a moment, mulling over the blondes words and then thinking back to Lucy's. _'Lucy is telling me to stop seeing Minako and Minako is telling me to break up with Lucy . . . what am I supposed to do? Can't a girl catch a break . . .?'_

"Did you hear me Rei? You need to break things off with Lucy." Minako's voice snapped Rei out of her thoughts.

"Isn't that kind of a rash decision . . .?" Ami tentatively cut in.

"Do you want to risk your safety along with the safety of everyone you know just so Rei can get laid?" Minako snapped causing a fire to ignite in the martian's chest.

"Oh, I get it now." Rei broke her silence, glaring at the blonde. "This is just some ploy to make me break up with my girlfriend."

"What!?"

"I'm not going to break up with my girlfriend just because you've made up some bullshit story to hide the fact that you're jealous." Rei crossed her arms.

"Don't be so full of yourself. This isn't about you and I'm most definitely not jealous. I have a boyfriend for kami's sake!" Minako threw up her arms.

"You don't have a fucking boyfriend." Rei growled, stepping closer to Minako.

"I do, but that has absolutely nothing to do with this." The blonde sighed.

"Who?" The raven haired girl narrowed her eyes while Usagi, Makoto, and Ami shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't think we should be here for this." Makoto said quietly to Ami and Usagi who nodded in agreement. "Hey guys -"

"Like I said that has absolutely nothing to do with this and that is none of your fucking business." Minako glared back at the fire senshi.

"Oh so Lucy is your business, but this new boyfriend isn't any of mine? I mean what if he figures out who we are and exposes us?" Rei replied mockingly while Usagi, Makoto, and Ami quietly made their daring escape out of Rei's house. "It's Jake isn't it."

"I'm telling you your girlfriend could potentially expose all of our identities and all you're worried about is my boyfriend? Are you kidding me Rei?" Minako threw her hands up in disbelief.

"I'll break up with Lucy when you break up with Jake. Fair is fair." Rei glared at her commander.

"Jake isn't threatening to expose me or us. Jake isn't even smart enough to figure something like that out. In fact he has absolutely nothing to do with this!" The blonde was letting her irritation get the best of her.

"So it is Jake!" Rei exclaimed, the fire raging even larger now in her chest.

"I never said that! Kami! You're acting like such a child!"

"I'm acting like a child? You have to be kidding me right?" Rei rolled her eyes, walking away from the blonde, and heading up to her room. "I'm fucking done with this meeting. You can see yourself out."

"Don't walk away from me!" Minako stormed after the raven haired girl until she was standing in the doorway of her bedroom looking at Rei's back. "You're going to break up with Lucy and that's an order."

"You can't order me to do that." Rei gritted her teeth, looking down. "You can't use me, toss me aside, then tell me to leave my girlfriend when I've moved on. For a Venusian you're fucking heartless."

"I'm heartless?" Minako clenched her fist, her anger bubbling over as she stepped into Rei's room, stopping to stand right behind the miko. "At least I'm not a liar and even though you're a Martian . . ." Minako leaned forward, speaking softly into Rei's ear as if she was telling her a deep dark secret. ". . . you're a fucking coward."

"How am I a liar?" Rei turned around, coming face to face with Minako, amethyst clashing with blue as they came toe to toe with each other. "And I am not a fucking coward." She said lowly in a dangerous tone she saved for her enemies.

"You told me you loved me." Minako's voice betrayed her as it wavered.

"And you fucking ran away." Rei growled.

"And so did you." The blonde glared defiantly back at the Martian, her words stinging the warrior.

"I-"

"Go on Rei. Tell me I'm wrong." Minako challenged the fire senshi.

"I . . . I didn't lie." Rei finally broke eye contact, looking off to the side, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I did love you . . ."

"But not anymore." Minako bit her lower lip, looking down to hide the stray tear that escaped her tear duct slowly sliding down her cheek.

"Why does it even matter?" Rei replied bitterly.

"Because . . . " Minako trailed off. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't know if she could say them out loud.

"Because nothing." Rei shot back when the silence became too much for her. "It doesn't really matter at all." _'At least not to you anyways.'_ Rei thought sourly to herself.

"Of course it matters . . ." Minako clenched her hand into a tight fist, her insides shaking as she struggled with her courage.

"Give me one good reason why it matters anymore." Rei pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Because . . ." Minako furrowed her brow, swallowing back her fear and doubt. "Because I love you." Minako said it so softly Rei almost missed it.

"W-what?" Her amethyst eyes widened and all of the anger she felt dissipated into the air when she looked over at Minako who had her head bent down, her blonde bangs covering her eyes, and her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Minako looked up with sparkling blue eyes, placed her hand on the back of Rei's neck, and pierced the Martian deeper than any sword could with her gaze. "I love you Rei." Before Rei could reply Minako closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against Rei's in a soft kiss.

For a moment Rei just stood there with wide eyes, clearly shellshocked, but once her brain caught up with what was happening her eyes fluttered shut, and she gently cupped Minako's face with her hands as she kissed her back. It was unlike all of the other kisses they had shared before. The kiss wasn't drunk and hasty, it was slow and deliberate. It was laced with a hint of desire, but had an overwhelming feeling of love.

As they started to move their lips perfectly in sync the kiss deepened and became more needy as Minako buried her hands in Rei's dark locks, pulling her closer while Rei's hands moved down to her waist. With their bodies pressed tightly against each other Rei ran her hands up under the back of the blonde's shirt, letting out a content sigh against Minako's lips at first contact of skin on skin.

Rei gripped the hem of Minako's shirt, slowly lifting it up until the blonde got the hint to break the kiss and pulled away, lifting her arms up so the miko could rid her of the offending clothing, leaving her in her white lace bra and skirt. The second the shirt hit the floor Rei stepped back into Minako's personal space, gripping her hips, and pulling her closer to feel her body heat as she ran the tip of her nose up the nape of the blonde's neck taking in the feel of her skin and her sweet scent.

"Rei." Minako let out a soft sigh as the miko started kissing her neck, and sucking on skin to leave her mark, her head becoming fuzzy from the attention, but snapped out of it when she remembered a certain small detail. "Wait Rei . . ." Minako stepped back while Rei looked completely confused. "What about Lucy?"

Minako could see the miko's wheels turning, a serious look adorning Rei's face as Lucy's words ran through her head, but the fire senshi leaned in, capturing the blonde's lips in a searing kiss that made her lose all sense of reason. She grabbed the back of Minako's thighs, lifting her up and carrying her until she was placed on the edge of her desk. _'This is where it all began . . .'_ Rei and Minako simultaneously thought to themselves as their lips moved of their own accord.

Rei pulled away, her heart pounding in her chest as she looked at the beautiful goddess before her; her hair was disheveled and her lips were more plump than usual due to their bruising kisses. "Lucy and I are over." Rei moved a stray strand of golden hair from Minako's face, tucking it behind her ear, causing the blonde to blush for once. "No one could possibly measure up to you."

Minako had no response to Rei's statement, her heart fluttering as the miko grabbed her by the hips, pulling her to the edge, getting her as close as possible to her lover. "And I still do you know . . . " Rei said softly, her lips hovering over Minako's full pink ones, as she leaned her upper body forward, leaving virtually no room between them. "I never stopped for a single second . . ." Rei licked her lips, looking from the blonde's piercing blue eyes to her lips she was so desperately trying not to devour.

"You never stopped what . . .?" Minako felt even more heat rise to her cheeks.

Rei looked up from Minako's lips, locking eyes with the blonde. "Loving you."

There was a moment of pause as Minako took in Rei's words and then as if they were magnets they both closed the distance between them, crashing their lips together in a deep kiss. Minako bit down on Rei's lower lip, tugging it hard enough to almost break skin as Rei gripped her skirt, slowly pulling it down the blonde's legs and dropping to her knees, breaking their kiss and leaving the Venusian in nothing but her heals and lingerie.

Rei looked up at the blonde with clouded over eyes while Minako bit her lower lip, gripping the edge of the desk tightly in anticipation. Minako watched as Rei softly kissed the inside of her left ankle, then her calve, and worked her way up to her thigh, kissing the skin slowly, but before she could get to her destination she was stopped by the heal of Minako's stiletto pressing into her shoulder.

"Minako." Rei let out an irritated growl as she looked up at the smirking blonde.

Rei tried to push up against Minako's stiletto, but the goddess of love was deceivingly strong and seemed to have no trouble keeping the hungry Martian at bay. With one push of her foot Minako had Rei flat on her back on the ground and before the miko could get up the blonde had already pounced on her prey, pinning Rei's hands about her head.

"You'll get your turn . . . eventually." Minako grinned mischievously down at the very aroused girl beneath her. "I have to say though Rei . . ." Minako loosened her hold on Rei's wrists, slowly sliding her hands down the miko's arms until she reached the offending material blocking her from seeing all of Rei. "You are severely overdressed for the occasion." Before Rei could respond Minako gripped her shirt tightly with both hands and tore it in two. "That's better." Minako licked her lips, admiring the Martian's red lacy bra and tan skin exposed for her to see.

Minako slowly ran her hands up Rei's stomach, biting her lower lip at the feeling of Rei's hot skin beneath her fingertips while Rei looked up at her goddess, a fire blazing in the pit of her stomach. Minako kept running her hands up Rei's torso, over her breasts, and then once she got to her shoulders she grabbed the Martian's bra straps and yanked her up into a sitting position, smashing her lips against Rei's.

Minako ran her tongue over Rei's lower lip, asking for entrance to the Martian's mouth which Rei was all too happy to grant. While their tongues battled for dominance Rei slowly snaked her hands up Minako's back, unclipping the senshi of love's bra. Rei kissed down to Minako's jaw as she tossed the blonde's bra of to the side, then kissed her way down to her shoulder before she dipped lower and took one of Minako's nipples into her mouth.

"Reiko . . ." Minako moaned out softly as she started grinding her hips into the girl beneath her, her breathing becoming heavier as Rei massaged her other breast with her free hand while she grazed her teeth across Minako's nipple.

Before Rei released Minako's nipple from her mouth she gave it one last flick with her tongue so she could lean up and capture the blonde's lips in another kiss while her hand trailed from her breast down her stomach to the top of her lace panties. Her heart pounded in her ears and her blood ignited as she slowly started to dip her fingertips into Minako's white underwear only to be shoved back down by the fiery Venusian and have her hands pinned above her head again.

"Minako!" Rei protested, beyond frustrated with her lover.

"Temper, temper." Minako chided the raven haired girl pinned to the ground with a smirk. "You have to wait your turn Reiko." Minako purred into Rei's ear, biting the Martian's earlobe and tugging on it.

"You're such a tease." Rei growled, trying to free her wrists from Minako's hold to no avail.

"The more you struggle, the longer you'll have to wait Reiko and I don't know about you, but . . ." Minako kissed down to Rei's neck and let go of the miko's wrist when she stopped trying to free them, running her hand down Rei's stomach until she reached her shorts. Rei started breathing hard, her body heating up, and her chest heaving as Minako bit down on her shoulder and unbuttoned her shorts with her thumb and index finger. "I'm pretty tired of waiting." Minako mumbled against Rei's skin as she unzipped Rei's shorts and dipped her hand into Rei's panties.

Rei was on the verge of frenzy as Minako pushed her hand further into her red underwear, her fingertips grazing past her clit to go straight to her waiting entrance and just as her lover was about to push her fingers into her a loud ringing filled the room.

"Maybe you should get that?" Minako smirked down at the very frustrated Martian.

"No fucking way. Ignore it." Rei moved her hips when the phone stopped ringing to try to get more contact from the blonde.

Minako leaned down to kiss the raven haired girl, her fingertips right at her entrance when Rei's phone started ringing once again, causing her to pull away with a sigh.

"Just get it." Minako huffed.

"I swear to kami if it's that stupid dumpling head I'm going to kill her." Rei growled, pulling her phone from her pocket while a very impatient goddess of love straddled her waist with crossed arms.

"Who is it?" Minako raised an eyebrow when Rei glared at her screen. When the miko didn't answer Minako leaned forward to see the name Lucy flashing across Rei's screen and she felt a flare of jealousy rise in her chest.

"No one important." Rei rejected the call and threw the phone at the wall, smashing it to ensure there would be no more interruptions. "They won't be bothering us anymore."

"Good answer." Minako growled as she leaned in, capturing Rei's lips in another deep kiss, her hand snaking back into her lover's panties. "You're fucking mine Reiko." The blonde mumbled against Rei's lips before she used her free hand to grab a fistful of the Martian's dark locks and yanked Rei's head back so she could look into her dark eyes. "Don't ever fucking forget." Before Rei could say anything Minako kissed Rei hard, pushing her fingers into her as deep as they could go.

Rei moaned into Minako's mouth as Minako rocked her hips into her own, pulling her fingers out and then pushing them back into the raven haired girl roughly to emphasize her point while Rei ran her hands up the blondes back. Minako arched her back, letting out a moan when her lovers nails dug deep into her shoulders, almost challenging her to go rougher.

Minako was never one to back down from a challenge, especially one issued by the fire senshi, and was quick to yank Rei's head back again by her hair, breaking their kiss as she rocked her hips into the raven haired girl harder, pressing her thumb against Rei's clit while her fingers continued their rough assault. A fire blazed in Rei's eyes and that fire reflected in Minako's own gaze as Rei scratched her nails down Minako's back, leaving red angry trails in her fingers wake.

Minako's eyes practically rolled into the back of her head at the feeling of Rei digging into her, her grip on Rei's dark locks tightening as Rei's touch became soft and her hands made their way to Minako's front, slowly running down the blonde's tight stomach, and dipping her hand back into her white lingerie. Rei leaned up more, capturing the blonde's lips in another kiss as she pushed two fingers into her lover grinding her hips into her.

Minako moaned against Rei's lips, heat starting to fill her entire body as Rei pushed her fingers all the way into her. She wanted so badly to cave into the Martian's desires, because she knew first hand how good it felt to do so, but somehow she found the willpower to stop herself, grabbing Rei's wrist and pinning her hand to the ground as she pulled away from the kiss.

"I told you you have to wait your turn." Minako smirked down at the squirming miko.

"You know I can't." Rei replied as Minako slowed down her pace, grinding her hips into her lover deliberately, earning her another moan from her fiery Martian.

"Do it for me Reiko." Minako pushed her fingers into Rei, hitting a particularly sensitive spot inside of the Martian she knew to be her g-spot as she pulled Rei's restrained hand up to her mouth, wrapping her lips around one of Rei's digits.

Rei's mouth ran dry as she watched the blonde suck whatever remnants of herself was on Rei's finger clean off. The feel of Minako's lips and tongue wrapped around her finger alone sent shivers down her spine and if she had trouble restraining herself before, it was nothing compared to now.

"If you're having trouble Rei . . . " Minako leaned forward, kissing Rei's lips once slowly so she could get a taste of her lover before pulling away a little. "I can always tie you down."

"Minako." Rei moaned softly as the blonde kissed over to her neck, biting on the sensitive skin while Rei slid her now free hands up Minako's thighs. "You're trying to kill me aren't you."

"What ever do you mean?" Minako smiled innocently against Rei's skin.

"You know damn well what I mean." Rei replied breathlessly.

"Oh . . . you mean this?" Minako sat up, biting her lower lip as she slowed down even more, grinding her hips and pushing her fingers all the way into Rei, pausing for good measure before she pulled them back out to push them back in even slower.

"Yes." Rei's hands made their way to Minako's perfect ass, pulling the blonde impossibly closer.

"You want me to go faster?" Minako leaned forward and whispered into Rei's ear, causing chills to instantly go up and down the raven haired girl's spine.

"You know I do." Rei moaned out as Minako put more pressure on her clit with her thumb.

"Say please." Minako smiled wickedly as she ground her hips into the squirming miko, curling her fingers deep inside of her lover.

"Mina-" Rei tried to protest, but Minako was quick to wrap her free hand around her throat.

"Say please Reiko." Minako took on a more stern sexy tone. "You know how much I love to hear you beg." She bit down on Rei's shoulder as she pushed into Rei harder to emphasize her point, effectively turning the Martian into putty.

"Please Minako." Rei got out with the blonde's hand still firmly at her throat, caving in faster than she thought she would.

That was the only thing Minako needed to hear to stop her teasing as she crashed her lips onto Rei's, releasing her lover from her chokehold as she picked up her pace. Rei dug her nails into Minako's ass as Minako tangled her free hand in Rei's dark locks, breathing heavy as she pushed her fingers in and out of her lover hard and fast, rubbing Rei's clit even faster with her thumb. Minako held nothing back as she roughly pushed her fingers as far as they would go into Rei, letting out all of her pent up frustration on the fire senshi who was her more than willing victim.

"M-Minako . . . I'm getting close . . ." Rei moaned out, arching her back when Minako kept hit her g-spot again while she sucked on the raven haired girls neck.

"Not yet." Minako's lips dragged across Rei's skin as she spoke, desperate to keep this moment going forever. "Don't come yet." Despite Minako's order the blonde picked up the pace even more, hitting Rei's g-spot over and over again, challenging the fire senshi to not get off.

"I don't think I can s-stop myself." Rei gripped Minako's ass harder, closing her eyes tightly and biting her lower lip, trying anything she could to prolong the moment.

Sweat beaded down Minako's forehead as rubbed Rei's clit faster, gripping Rei's hair tighter in her hand and before the blonde knew it Rei unraveled in her hands, moaning out Minako's name one last time, her legs shaking, and her body exploding as she came hard.

Minako kissed Rei's shoulder softly as she slowed down her pace while her lover rode out her orgasm and came down from her high, pulling her fingers out of Rei's panties once the Martian was just laying there in a heap, chest heaving. Minako felt a sense of pride, knowing she alone could leave the Martian in such a state panting on the floor.

"Get on the bed." Rei was finally able to get out after a minute, her breathing still heavy.

"What?" Minako raised an eyebrow. _'There's no way she's already ready to go again.'_

"I said get on the bed." Rei growled, sitting up. "I waited my turn." The Martian smirked and a new wave of excitement filled Minako's gut at the look in her lovers eyes.

"Of course." Minako leaned in, kissing Rei before she stood up and started slowly crawling onto the bed, putting on a show for the miko when she stood up behind her, kicking off her shorts. "How do you want me Reiko?" Minako practically purred, looking over her shoulder at the hungry martian.

"Don't care. I just want you now." Rei grabbed Minako's hips, dragging her back on all fours as close to the edge of the bed as possible, causing a giggle to escape Minako's mouth.

The giggle died on Minako's lips though when Rei hastily pushed her white panties to the side and pushed two fingers all the way into the blonde, causing a moan to erupt from her pink lips. Rei practically moaned at the feeling of being inside of her lover again, gripping the blonde's hip tightly with one hand to keep Minako in place as she pulled her fingers out only to push them back in harder, curling them when they went as deep as they could go.

"Fuck Rei . . . whatever you're doing . . . don't stop." Minako moaned out, gripping the sheets tightly in her hands.

"Is that an order?" Rei smirked, continuing her slow and rough ministrations.

"Ye-"

Rei interrupted Minako with a loud smack, slapping her ass hard with her free hand, leaving a pink outline of her hand on her lovers perfect ass, causing a louder moan to erupt from the love senshi's mouth. Rei ran her hand slowly up Minako's back until she reached her blonde locks, gripping her hair tightly in her hand, and pulling back, forcing Minako to arch her back with her head bent slightly back.

"You're not in any position to be giving orders." Rei leaned forward, whispering in the blondes ear, emphasizing her point by pushing her fingers into her lover harder while Minako bit down on her lower lip, her eyes closed tight, trying to suppress her loud moans.

Rei kissed the back of Minako's shoulder as she continued pushing into the blonde, letting go of her hair and lightly running her nails back down the love senshi's back, leaving her mark before she gripped Minako's hip once more. She squeezed it as she picked up the pace, pushing into the blonde faster, causing Minako's resolve to break as she dropped her head onto the bed, moaning loudly into the sheets while the bed creaked in protest.

"R-Rei . . . I'm getting close . . ." Minako moaned out, her grip on the sheets tightening. Having sex with Rei before had turned her on so much she was already ready to burst like a shaken can of soda the second Rei had touched her and the raven haired girl's lips and hot breath on her shoulder weren't helping her from holding back.

"Then come for me angel." Rei bit down on the blonde's soft skin, pushing a third finger into Minako and hitting her g-spot, sending her over the edge.

Minako hit the bed with her fist once as her orgasm hit her hard, practically screaming Rei's name as her body shook and she hit a high she never knew she could. Once the intense pleasure subsided the blonde let out the breath she didn't know she had been holding in as Rei slid her fingers out of her.

"Wow Rei." Minako breathed heavily. "That was-"

"I'm not done yet." Rei growled, gripping Minakos hips and flipping her around so she laid on her back at the edge of the bed with her legs hanging off the side, ripping her white lingerie off.

"R-Rei . . ." Minako blushed, propping herself up on her elbows. "I don't think I-"

Before Minako could finish voicing her protest Rei dropped to her knees, and dove in, massaging her lover's clit with her tongue.

"Fucking shit . . ." Minako moaned, throwing her head back as Rei worked her magic, putting Minako's legs on her shoulders as she gripped the blonde's ass, pulling her as close to her as possible.

"Kami you taste like heaven." Rei mumbled against Minako, practically moaning at the taste.

Rei had had a taste of Minako before and now she couldn't bring herself to stop as she ravaged the blonde. She wanted to take her time this round, but couldn't bring herself to as she pushed two fingers into her lover once again, pushing her tongue harder against the squirming blonde's clit whose hand had traveled down to tangle her fingers in Rei's dark locks once again.

"Rei . . ." Minako moaned, gripping her hair tighter in her hands. "I-I'm not going to last long if you keep this up." Minako flopped down flat on her back,unable to keep herself propped up on her elbow to watch her lover devour her any longer as Rei twirled her tongue just right. Minako bit her lower lip, almost drawing blood as Rei hit her g-spot once again, pushing her fingers in and out of the blonde hard and fast, desperate to hear the love senshi's cries fill the room once more.

Minako felt her orgasm coming at an alarmingly fast rate and before she could even try to stop herself she came much harder then she did the first time, arching her back and screaming Rei's name as she desperately clung to her hair. Rei continued her fast ministrations, only slowing down once she felt the blonde had had enough. She gave her lovers clit one last flick of her tongue before she slowly pulled her fingers out of her and crawled onto the bed, laying next to the heaving blonde.

"Kami I fucking love you." Minako smiled with her eyes closed, her chest still heaving from her orgasm.

"I love hearing you say that." Rei smiled over at the blonde. "Say it again." Minako opened her eyes, looking over at the grinning martian.

"I love you Reiko." Minako's smile brightened even more.

"I love you too Minako." Rei leaned forward, brushing her lips across the blondes. "I'm yours. Always have been. Always will be."

"And don't you ever fucking forget." Minako smirked.

"I couldn't if I tried." Rei pressed her lips against Minako's in a soft kiss.

* * *

 **AN: Bet you thought Lucy was going to ruin the moment again. Not this time :D I sincerely hope you guys liked this chapter, it definitely took a while to write. I actually wrote this chapter before I wrote chapter 14 so it's been in production for a while. Anyways, you see that little button right below here that says review? It would be great if you clicked on it and let me know what you think. As always your thoughts are invaluable to me :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: First of all I'm really happy you all enjoyed that last chapter. I've been looking forward to writing that one for a while and going more into Rei and Minako's kind of vanilla BDSM lifestyle. They always seemed like the type of couple that would like vanilla BDSM in my opinion. Second of all I'm sorry it has been far too long since I have updated this fic. I hope I haven't lost all of you awesome readers. Hopefully this chapter will make up for my shitty update times. This story still has a long ways to go so don't give up on it yet :D Anyways, enjoy the new chapter :D**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Issues**

Rei let out a soft groan as she woke from her deep slumber, dully noting her sore muscles. _'Great . . . another dream to further torture me . . .'_ The miko sighed, sitting up and stretching. Her eyes widened when she looked to her side and found a very naked goddess of love peacefully slumbering on her stomach next to her.

"It wasn't a dream." Rei said softly to herself, a smile spreading across her lips as Minako's soft melodic snoring filled her ears. Rei felt like a giddy child waking up on Christmas excitedly waiting to open her present. She wanted so badly to wake Minako up and continue their activities from the night before, but couldn't bring herself to do so when the blonde looked so peaceful so she settled on moving some stray golden stands out of Minako's face and tucked them behind her ear and just gazed at the goddess, enraptured by her devastating beauty. "I don't think you have any idea how much you really mean to me . . ." Rei spoke in the same soft voice running her fingers through Minako's long blonde hair. "Kami . . ." Rei sighed, pausing her movement. "You're so perfect . . ." Rei leaned forward, placing a soft kiss on Minako's shoulder, but pulled away when she heard someone knocking on her door.

"Damnit." Rei growled, beyond unhappy to be interrupted as she got out of bed, throwing clothes on, and rushing downstairs to get rid of the unwelcome guest. Rei ripped open her front door, opening her mouth to speak before she saw her guest. "This had better be fucking important."

"I would say your girlfriend is pretty important." Lucy stood in the doorway with her arms crossed, glaring right back at the Martian.

"L-Lucy? What are you doing here?" Rei stuttered, backpedaling faster then she ever had before.

"You didn't answer any of my calls last night." Lucy brushed past Rei, not bothering to wait for an invitation.

"My phone broke." Rei blushed, closing the front door.

"How?"

"It fell. Again . . . what are you doing here Lucy?" Rei sighed.

"Since when do I need a reason to see my girlfriend?" Lucy stepped closer to the miko. "I didn't want things to end on that note yesterday. You know I love you Reiko." Lucy leaned in to kiss Rei, but the Martian took a step back.

"Listen Lucy . . ." Rei cleared her throat, not prepared for this talk yet. "We need to talk . . ."

"Talk? About what?" Lucy raised an eyebrow.

"You see. . ." Rei started, unsure of how to do this

"Oh. Hell. No." Lucy suddenly realized where this conversation was going. "You are NOT doing this."

"Lucy, things aren't working between us. You have to know this." Rei sighed.

"The only problem we have is that SLUT!"

"Don't call her that." Rei growled, a fire igniting in her chest.

"You're defending HER now!?" Lucy stepped into Rei's space, but her eyes widened when realization dawned on her and she took a step back. "Oh my god. Oh my god. OH. MY. GOD! You slept with her didn't you!?"

"Lucy . . ." Rei suddenly became nervous.

"YOU CHEATED ON ME!"

"I didn't-"

"DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME!" Lucy picked up a glass vase off of the coffee table and threw it hard at the Martian's head. Luckily Rei's reflexes are well trained and she was quick to duck out of the way casuing the vase to shatter on the wall upon impact, sending glass flying in every direction.

Meanwhile Minako had a small smile on her face as she cuddled up in the Martian's bed, but was rudely woken up from her peaceful slumber when a loud crash echoed through the house.

"What the . . .?" Minako rolled onto her back, sat up, and rubbed her groggy eyes. The events from the night before slowly came back to her as she realized she was in Rei's room and not her own, causing the smile to creep back onto her face, but the moment was short lived. Her smile fell when she heard the all too familiar voice of Lucy yelling. "Oh. Hell. No." Minako's eyes narrowed as she got out of bed, a fire burning in her chest.

"Fucking shit Lucy!" Rei stood up, her eyes wide and hands raised in surrender as she carefully stepped to the side to avoid the shards of glass on the ground.

"How long Rei!?" Lucy yelled as she grabbed a half empty glass of water from the table.

"H-How long?" Rei stuttered.

"Don't play dumb! How long have you been fucking that SLUT behind my back!?"

"She's not a -"

"HOW LONG!?" Lucy threw the glass at Rei's head again, but once again Rei ducked, covering her head.

"What's all the ruckus about?" Minako yawned at the top of Rei's stairs, stretching before she slowly walked down the steps wearing only one of Rei's t-shirts and underwear.

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Lucy stormed over to the smirking Venusian once she made it to the bottom of the stairs.

"Who? Me?" Minako looked behind her as if Lucy could be talking about someone else, before she turned her attention to the fuming pink haired girl with an innocent smile.

Minako's appearance and cool demeanor was all Lucy needed to push her over the edge as she cocked her arm back, balling her hand into a tight fist. Minako was more then ready to counter the pink haired girl, but her conversation with Lucy at the beach suddenly flashed through her head. _'Fuck.'_ Minako internally sighed. _'I didn't think this through.'_

Instead of blocking the punch like Minako was well trained to do she fought every impulse she had and let the fuming musician punch her right in her left eye, sending her stumbling back onto her butt.

"Not smiling now slut are you?" Lucy spat out while Rei quickly ran to the blonde, stepping between her spurned ex lover and Minako.

"Lucy!" Rei pushed the pink haired girl back. "Get the fuck out. Now." Rei growled.

"Me!? This bitch has been fucking my girlfriend-"

"EX girlfriend remember?" Minako glared up at Lucy, her eye already starting to swell.

"Fuck you!" Lucy raised her fist to hit Minako again, but was stopped by Rei grabbing her wrist.

"Don't fucking touch her again." A fire blazed in Rei's eyes, challenging Lucy to make another move towards the blonde nursing her eye.

"So this is how you want to end things?" Lucy yanked her wrist out of Rei's grasp. "YOU cheated on ME and I'm the one being told to leave. I'm some how the bad guy here?"

"Well if the shoe fits . . ." Minako smiled, provoking the enraged singer into trying to maneuver around Rei.

"Don't." Rei took on a dangerous tone as she stepped right back in the way of Lucy and Minako. "I won't tell you again."

Lucy glared at Rei, tense and on edge, searching the miko's eyes to find any shred of proof that she would go back on her word, but only found a resolve that wouldn't be broken. "You know what . . ." Lucy took a step back. "Its not worth it. YOU'RE not worth it. Honestly you two deserve each other. She is just going to do what she did before. She will use you and then leave you broken and this time I won't fucking be there to help pick up the pieces. She's just a stupid slut and you're just the moron that thought she was worth more then a one night stand."

"Get out now before I fuck you up myself." Rei growled.

"Gladly." Lucy replied, giving Rei one final shove before she made her exit, pausing before she reached the door. "I really wish I could be there to see when she breaks you, because trust me Rei she will. There's no such thing as a whore with a heart of gold." Lucy sent one more pointed glare at the blonde and Rei before she left, slamming the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" Rei kneeled down and turned her attention to the blonde sitting on the stairs holding her hand over her left eye.

"Do you think that too . . .?" Minako asked softly, looking off to the side.

"Think what?" Rei tilted her head to the side.

"That I'm just a stupid slut . . ."

"Absolutely not." Rei gently turned Minako's chin so she was looking at her. "She is insane and you . . ." Rei trailed off.

"And I'm . . .?"

Rei shook her head, looking down before bashfully bringing her eyes up to meet Minako's only uncovered blue one. "There are no words . . ." Rei almost choked on the sentence as it came out of her mouth. "Perfection isn't a strong enough word."

"Rei . . ." Minako's blush almost matched Rei's.

"I um . . ." Rei cleared her throat, standing up. "I'm going to get you some ice for you eye." Rei carefully walked around the glass on the floor to reach the kitchen, returning moments later with ice cubes in a rag. "Let me see." Rei kneeled back down in front of the blonde while Minako hesitantly moved her hand from her eye.

"Is it bad?" Minako asked absentmindedly as she watched Rei carefully leaning forward to press the ice to her eye, the miko's words still running through her head.

"You still look beautiful if that's what you're asking." Rei smiled cheekily at the blonde who swatted at her in response. "Why did you let her punch you like that Minako . . . You could have easily taken her out." Rei frowned.

"She's already on to me being Venus. If I took her down it would have just confirmed her suspicions." Minako flinched a little when Rei put a little more pressure on her eye then she wanted.

"Sorry." Rei eased up immediately when she saw the blonde flinch. "I guess I didn't think about that. I'm sorry you got put in that position. I didn't-" Minako leaned forward, pressing her lips against Rei's in a soft chaste kiss, effectively shutting the Martian up. "What was that for?" Rei blushed when Minako pulled away.

"Nothing. I just love you and I'm glad Lucy is out of the way." Minako smiled, causing the Martian's heart to melt on the spot.

"Me too." Rei let Minako grab the makeshift ice pack from her hand. "But . . . what about your boyfriend . . .Jake?" Rei frowned, looking off to the side, but snapped her attention back to the blonde when she heard giggles erupting from her mouth. "What's so funny?" Rei glared at the laughing goddess.

"I might have exaggerated a bit when I said I have a boyfriend . . ." Minako bit her lower lip, trying to hide her smile.

"What do you mean you MIGHT have exaggerated?" Rei crossed her arms.

"I don't have a boyfriend and I most certainly am not seeing Jake." Minako smiled.

"What!? So you lied to-"

Minako cut Rei off once more, pressing her lips a little harder against the Martian's to soothe her anger before it got worse. "I'm sorry Reiko." Minako pulled back. "I was jealous and . . . I wanted you to feel what I felt even if it was for a second. It was really stupid and childish and-"

"So you're saying you're single?" Rei interrupted the blonde, keeping her serious tone.

"Uh . . . yeah I guess." Minako furrowed her brow at Rei's response.

"And I'm single too." Rei looked thoughtful.

"It would seem so." A small smile formed on Minako's face when she caught on to the Martian.

"I love you and you love me soooooo . . ." Rei tapped her finger on her lower lip as if she was deep in thought.

"Are you going to ask me to be your girlfriend?" Minako's smile widened.

"Well I can't if you beat me to the punch." Rei glared playfully at the giddy blonde.

"Sorry, sorry. Continue." Minako sat up straighter, trying to take the smile off of her face. "You wanted to ask me something Reiko?"

"Minako will you-"

"Yes." Minako smiled.

"I didn't finish!" Rei growled. "Will you be my-"

"Yes!" Minako put her icepack down and grabbed Rei by the front of her shirt, yanking the miko into a deep kiss. Rei was startled at first, but was never one to resist the blondes charms and was quick to respond as she leaned forward and gripped the stair behind the blonde moving her lips against Minako's. Rei's temperature quickly began to rise as she pressed her body into Minako's and the blonde responded by arching into Rei, smiling as she bit down on the fire senshi's lower lip, tugging on the soft surface.

Rei pulled back a little after a couple of minutes, breathing heavily as she leaned her forehead against Minako's with her eyes still closed. "Is this real . . .?"

"I don't know Rei . . ." Minako smiled mischievously as she grabbed Rei's free hand and slowly guided it up under her shirt until her hand was placed on Minako's breast. "Does this feel real to you?" She asked huskily before she leaned forward and kissed Rei once slowly and sensually.

"Kami Minako . . ." Rei licked her lips, tasting Minako's sweet lip gloss. "I'm going to take you right here if you keep this up."

"Is that a promise or a threat?" Minako smirked up at the heated Martian.

"Both." Rei growled before she smashed her lips against the smirking blondes, massaging Minako's breast. A soft moan erupted from Minako's mouth when Rei moved her hungry lips to her neck, biting on the soft skin while Minako pushed her hips up into the Martians, silently begging for more. "If this is a dream I'm going to kill anyone who dares to try and wake me up." Rei mumbled against Minako's neck.

"Even Usagi?" Minako grinned as she ran her hands down Rei's back.

"Especially Usagi."

"That's blasphemous you know . . ." Minako ran her hands back up Rei's back, lifting the miko's shirt up in the process.

Rei responded by moving her hand away from Minako's breast and slowly dragging it down her stomach, leaving a trail of goosebumps in her fingers wake to the top of Minako's panties. Rei pulled away just a little so she could look the blonde in the eyes while her fingers played with the top of her panties. "Then may I burn in Hell for eternity if that's the price I have to pay for this."

 _Flashback_

Mars arrived an hour early at the training grounds, fulfilling her promise of training the very eager Asuna in combat, but didn't see her anywhere. "Already off to a bad start." Rei glared at the empty arena as she grabbed a sword and headed for the wooden post off to the side to practice by herself until her new student decided to arrive. She attacked the post relentlessly, chipping away at the hard wood until she heard footsteps approaching her from behind. "Rule number one, don't ever keep me waiting." Rei growled as she turned around, ready to chew out her new student.

"Excuse me?" Venus raised an eyebrow with a very shocked Mercury and Jupiter in tow. "I'll have you know we decided to start practice early today and the only person who seems to have trouble with time keeping is you. Need I remind you of your late arrival to our meeting a couple weeks ago?"

"C-commander." Rei blushed. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"Who did you think we were Mars?" Jupiter tilted her head to the side curiously.

"Um, I'm taking on a student and -"

"Sorry I'm late Rei-chan!" Asuna came running into the arena, breathing heavy. "I had some business to discuss with- Oh, hey guys." Asuna blushed when she saw Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury turn to her with questioning looks.

"So that's why you showed up early without telling me." Venus looked over at Mars with a not so well hidden glare.

"I-I told you I was taking on a student and-"

"I don't need you to remind me of our discussion Mars." Venus replied sharply before turning her attention to Asuna. "And you're Asuna Yuuki correct?"

"Y-yes ma'am." Asuna stood up straighter under Venus' scrutinizing gaze.

"You're the commander of the assault team right?"

"That's correct." Asuna nodded her head.

"So tell me . . ." Venus stalked over to the nervous girl. "As a commander how would you handle someone going behind your back and asking your subordinate to train them without consulting you first?"

"I-I'm sorry commander. I didn't think of it like that." Asuna looked down blushing. "You're right, I should have-"

"You should have come to me first, but you didn't." Venus snapped.

"Venus, listen -" Mars stepped up, trying to calm her obviously pissed off girlfriend who was pissed off for more reasons then she was letting on.

"I didn't ask for your consultation Mars. Should I need your advice I will ask." Venus glared over at the Martian who quickly shut her mouth.

"I'm so sorry commander. Please don't be cross with Mars. I came to her and begged her to train me, but I should have come to you first. Please commander, please let me train with you guys." Asuna unexpectedly grabbed Venus' hands. "I don't want my squadron to weigh you guys down. I want to be an asset to the team."

Venus was quiet for a moment, mulling over Asuna's words. "Fine, but next time, if you seek out anything from my subordinates you come to me first and you will train with all of us, not just Mars. You have much to learn from everyone here."

"Yes commander. Thank you so much!" Asuna smiled.

Venus stepped away from the excited girl, pointedly ignoring Mars who stood there sulking in the corner. "Mercury and Jupiter, you two start sparring and Asuna you will start off against Mars per request and I will watch so I can correct your form."

"Yes commander." Everyone said in unison, even Mars who was surprised to see Venus was letting her spar with Asuna right off the bat. _'This is probably some fucked up test and Minako is going to kill me if I fail.'_ Mars sighed inwardly to herself while Asuna approached her.

"Don't go easy on me Rei-chan." Asuna smiled and winked at the Martian while she took her stance, not noticing the fuming Venusian watching.

"Begin." Venus ordered before Mars could reply, glaring daggers at the two girls.

Mars had barely lifted her sword before Asuna came rushing at her at a demon speed, barely dodging her first strike aimed for her head. _'Holy shit, she's fast.'_ Mars thought to herself before Asuna stabbed her sword forward again this time aimed at her stomach.

Mars jumped to the side, kicked Asuna's foot out from under her, gripped the orange haired girl's shoulder, and flipped her onto her back, pointing her sword at her throat.

"You attack absent thought or purpose. Get up and go again." Venus crossed her arms, leaning against the wall. _'She is fast though . . . really fast.'_

"Yes commander." Asuna smiled as Rei helped the girl off of the ground.

The second Rei got into position Asuna was already going at her again, barely giving her time to prepare as she stabbed at the Martian's midsection over and over again at an alarming speed Rei had trouble keeping up with, barely dodging each strike, but the second Rei saw an opening she deflected Asuna's blade with her own and kicked the girl in the chest, sending her stumbling back.

"You have more weapons at your disposal then your sword." Venus commented.

Asuna nodded with a small smile before running at Mars again, swinging her sword diagonally at the Martian's chest only to be blocked by cold steel. She took note of Venus' words and swung her left fist, aiming for Mars' eyes, but Mars had great reflexes and was quick to duck and sweep her leg so she was left lying flat on her back on the ground once more. She jumped up quickly before Mars could help her up and was at the Martian's throat again, swinging her sword wildly and quicker then she had before.

 _'Holy shit. She may be ill trained, but she is hard to keep up with.'_ Mars thought to herself as she barely blocked each assault by the determined girl. It was hard to go on the offensive when Asuna left very little openings to be attacked and before Rei knew it she was backed in a corner. She had all of one second to turn her back and jump from one wall to the next so she could land behind Asuna with the tip of her sword pointed at her back.

"Damnit. I almost had you." Asuna turned around with a smile, heaving and obviously fatigued from her assault.

"Almost." Rei smirked.

"You attempt to press before regaining balance." Minako interrupted the two girls. "Go in with a level head."

"Yes commander." Asuna nodded at the blonde.

Rei and Asuna went back to the center of the arena with a good ten feet between them, both taking in a deep breath. _'She's a little fatigued now and I'm getting used to her speed. There's no way I'm going to let a rookie beat me.'_ Rei thought stubbornly to herself, carefully watching the girl before her. She stood at the ready, her hands tightening around her blade when she suddenly felt that odd presence again. _'What the . . .?'_ Mars' eyes shifted to the side, trying to figure out where the presence was coming from without alerting it that she was aware of it being there.

Asuna saw Mars' concentration break, she knew she had found her opening and gathered up all of her strength, darting at the unaware Martian at lightning speed. Before Mars knew what was happening the orange haired girl was right in front of her swinging her sword and she had all of one second to react. Lucky for her, her reflexes seldom let her down and she was able to duck roll out of the way at the last second, but Asuna was hot on her tail and leapt forward before Mars could get up.

A soft 'oof' escaped the Martian's lips as she felt her back make contact with the ground and she felt an unfamiliar weight straddling her with a hand pressed into her shoulder, keeping her pinned to the ground.

"Gotcha." Asuna smirked down at the surprised Martian with her blade pointed at Rei's neck.

"Fuck." Rei sighed.

"They don't call me the lightning flash for nothing." Asuna smiled and winked at the blushing Martian who seemed to become more and more uncomfortable the longer the orange haired girl stayed on top of her.

"That's enough." Venus' blood was boiling as she approached the two with a clenched fist.

"Thanks for your instruction Venus." Asuna smiled up at the pissed blonde, standing up, and holding out her hand to help Mars up, blissfully unaware of Venus' growing anger.

"I-I got it. Thanks." Mars purposely avoided the blonde's glare as she got up by herself, wiping the dirt off of her clothing.

"Shall we go again?" Asuna grinned.

"I'll be your opponent this time." Venus stepped between the two girls, unsheathing her sword. "Mars, you can go sit in the shade and cool off." Venus sent a pointed glare in the cowering Martian's direction.

"Yes commander." Mars mumbled, still perplexed as to what presence she felt.

"Commander vs commander eh? This should be fun." Asuna smiled, jumping from foot to foot.

"Yeah, it will definitely be . . . fun." Venus smiled her fake innocent smile at the oblivious girl, getting in her fighting stance.

 _'I don't think Asuna knows what she just got herself into . . .'_ Mars frowned, feeling nervous for the newcomer.

"Begin." The second those words left Venus' lips Asuna already appeared in front of Minako in a flash high in the air, slamming her sword down with all she had, but Minako sidestepped away from the rookie, dodging her blow with ease, leaving Asuna on her knees. Asuna scrambled to her feet, but when she turned to point her blade at the blonde Venus swung her sword hard. Asuna's clumsy hold on her sword was no match for Venus' surprising strength as metal clashed with metal and Venus sent Asuna's weapon flying out of her hand and well out of reach. "Too slow." Venus smirked.

Venus knew she struck a nerve when Asuna balled her hand into a fist and swung at the cocky blonde, but Venus was one step ahead and grabbed the rookie's wrist, using Asuna's momentum against her, and flipped her onto her back.

"Mars did you no favors by going easy on you." Venus stood over Asuna with her blade to her neck. "The enemy will not show you the same kindness that she has."

Asuna seemed to mull over Venus' words before responding. "You're right. Thanks Venus." Asuna smiled as she stood up, wiping the dirt off. "I told you not to go easy on me Rei-chan!" Asuna glared over at the Martian.

"I- um . . . I got distracted . . ." Mars could feel sweat building on her brow not from Asuna's accusing stare, but from the blonde's glare behind her.

"Distracted huh?" Venus balled her hand into a tight fist. "I thought you were more disciplined then that."

"I am . . . I just-"

"We'll discuss the matter later. Asuna, pick up your weapon and attack with more sense this time." Venus cut Mars off, turning her attention back to Asuna.

"Yes commander." Asuna nodded her head with a smile and ran over to her sword. "Sorry Rei-chan. I didn't mean to get you in trouble." Asuna whispered to Mars before she grabbed her sword and ran back to Venus who watched the whole exchange.

 _'You have no idea how much more trouble I'm in now . . .'_ Rei sighed inwardly to herself, looking down, and avoiding Venus' gaze.

"Begin." Venus ordered while she was already mid-step, running at Asuna. Asuna had grown so used to going on the offensive she was taken off guard when she saw Venus rushing at her. Venus swung her sword down hard over and over again while Asuna struggled to block the blonde's relentless attacks, slowly backing up further and further until she was pushed against the wall.

Asuna received a small opening from Venus and was quick to take advantage and swing her sword, aiming to swipe Venus' head clear off of her body, but Venus was much more skilled and dropped to one knee, avoiding Asuna's blade. The blonde balled her hand into a tight fist slamming it into Asuna's gut and when the orange haired girl lifted her blade to strike the goddess Venus stood back up and grabbed her wrist, holding the rookie in place while she kneed her in the ribs hard three times before she flipped her onto her back once again.

"You have much to learn." Venus looked down at the defeated girl. "But you show promise." Venus held out her hand and Asuna gratefully took it, letting the blonde help her to her feet. "You have great speed and a decent offense, but your defense is seriously lacking. We will work with you to improve your skills. You may practice with us every other week."

"Thank you commander. I really appreciate it, even if my body doesn't right now." Asuna grinned, rubbing the back of her head.

"Go get some rest and recover. We will continue this in two weeks. Be sure to show your subordinates what we have shown you in the meantime."

"Yes commander. This is a lesson I won't soon forget." Asuna rubbed her sore muscles as she headed for the exit, waving goodbye shyly to Mars before she departed.

"Practice is over. Makoto, you're on patrol in an hour. Mars, come with me. We have much to discuss." Venus ordered without even looking in Mars' direction.

"In trouble again I see." Makoto grinned at the Martian quickly heading after her secret lover who didn't even bother waiting for the raven haired girl.

"Shut up." Mars glared over at the smirking Jovian. "Venus? Venus!" Mars ran after the blonde speed walking away from her. "Hey! Wait up!" Mars grabbed Venus' shoulder, trying to catch her attention. "Minako, it's not what you think." Rei said softly so no one would hear.

"Not here." Venus replied sharply, pulling away from the miko.

"S-sorry . . ." Mars looked down, following the blonde silently now.

Once they reached Venus' room, the blonde locked the door behind her, but still remained silent, deep in thought as she walked over and sat down on her bed.

"Minako . . ." Rei slowly approached the brooding blonde. "Please . . . say something . . ."

"Do you take me for a fool?" Venus finally broke her silence, looking up at Mars.

"What? No. Of course not." Mars kneeled in front of the blonde, trying to grab her hand, but Minako just pulled away.

"Were you that distracted by her beauty that you couldn't even properly train . . .? Have you already grown bored with me . . .?" Venus gripped the sheet tightly.

"What!? No! I felt this . . . presence . . . I felt it once before and then it showed itself again . . . I don't understand what it means . . ." Mars furrowed her brow, trying to pinpoint the feeling.

"Don't lie to me." Venus snapped.

"I'm not lying." Mars frowned, reaching forward once more to try to grab the blonde's hand, but Venus yanked her hand out of her grasp again. "I can't believe this. This is so absurd!" Mars stood back up, throwing her hands up in the air, clearly frustrated while the blonde sat on the edge of her bed, glaring at the floor.

"Can't believe what Rei?" Minako turned her glare towards Mars. "You can't believe you're being called on your bullshit? You can't believe you got caught? You-"

"No!" Mars cut off Venus before she could continue and glared right back at the blonde before she let out a sigh, turning her back on her upset girlfriend. "I can't believe the most beautiful woman in the galaxy is worried about a Martian finding some Lunarian attractive."

Mars' statement hung in the air while Venus sat there shocked by the Martian's surprisingly sweet approach to the subject. "You think I'm the most beautiful woman in the galaxy?" Venus bit her lower lip, looking up to see Mars' back facing her, hiding her crimson cheeks.

"I don't think you are, I KNOW you are." Mars crossed her arms, looking off to the side.

"Oh?" The blonde smiled, snapping out of her angry stupor as she stood up, walking up behind Mars and snaking her arms around her slender waist, resting her cheek on her back.

"Don't you know my heart by now . . .?" Mars gently grabbed the blonde's hands and turned around in the Venusians arms so she could gaze into those sparkling blue eyes. "Everyone else pales in comparison to you . . . Don't you know I . . ." Mars gulped while realization started to dawn in Minako's eyes. " . . .I . . ." _'love you.'_ "I care very deeply about you." _'Coward.'_

"I . . . care very deeply about you too Rei . . ." A small smile adorned Venus' face as she rubbed her thumb across Mars' knuckles.

"Good." Mars nodded awkwardly while Venus' small smile turned into an amused one. "Then the issue is resolved."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Venus bit her lower lip as she placed a hand on Mars' chest, slowly walking the raven haired girl backwards until the back of her knees hit the bed, forcing the Martian warrior into a sitting position.

"I think . . ." Venus smiled mischievously as she straddled the blushing Martian, wrapping her arms around her neck. "that this issue . . ." Venus kissed Mars once slowly and sensually. "will take us . . ." Venus kissed Mars' neck before she ripped open the raven haired girls shirt. "ALL night to resolve." Minako licked her lips, hungrily gazing at Rei's half naked torso. "Do you think you can handle it?"

"Oh, I know I can." Mars smirked, as she placed her hand on the small of her goddess' back before she flipped them over, ready for a long night she would surely never forget.

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 **AN: Well there it is. Pretty please review and let me know what you think and feel free to even throw in ideas of things you would like to see happen. More smut, more action, more drama. Feel free to let me know. I'm always open to other peoples ideas and opinions :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I know I'm the worst. Between work, band practice, shows, and wedding bullshit I haven't had much time to write, but I'm happy to announce I finally have gotten the time to write more. I have pretty much the rest of the story planned out so I will be trying to find the time to update more. Hopefully there are people still interested in this story. This whole chapter will be a flashback just because I do so enjoy doing those. Anyways, I hope the wait was worth it and I hope you all like it :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Damn the consequences**

There was a soft but very deep and powerful drumbeat, and gladness surged up, born from relief and anticipation of what was to come. Mars walked in a daze, feeling herself getting closer to something she couldn't describe and the closer she got, the warmer she became. Then the horns sounded, and it was very close now, only a matter of moments before it came and then everything would begin and happen at last.

As the gladness rose into a melody that climbed until it seemed to come from everywhere Mars felt her feet walking of their own accord towards the warmth and to where the voices promised bliss, filling everything with that joy that was on the way, that overwhelming fulfillment that would lift her into ecstasy. The music crescendoed and she felt as if she was in the belly of the beast, her heart pounding in time with the drumbeat as flames licked at her skin. The drumbeat picked up and so did her heart going faster and faster. She was on the edge about to jump into the unknown that seemed to promise to fulfill all of her deepest wishes and then . . .

Mars took in a deep breath, bolting upright in her bed, her chest still pounding as she wildly looked around her dark room.

"What . . . what was that . . .?" The Martian knit her brow in confusion. _'A dream . . .? A premonition . . .?'_ The hairs on the back of the raven haired girls neck stood on end, goosebumps running up her skin as she looked around the room with an uneasy feeling settling into her stomach. "Maybe the flames will have answers."

Mars jumped out of bed, quietly walking through the castle as to not cause a disturbance, making a beeline for her mediation room. When she arrived she immediately lit a flame, but jumped back at the heat it brought. Instead of the comfort she was hoping to receive she felt that familiar feeling of joy, but a deeper feeling of dread. She tried to push that thought to the back of her mind as she hesitantly sat down in front of the fire, trying to clear her mind. She took deep even breaths, letting the stress leave her body, pushing out her troubling thoughts. She sat there for a good ten minutes, but furrowed her brow when no images came before her; except for the occasional crackle the flames were uncharacteristically quiet.

Rei let out a few more breaths, determined to figure out what was going on, but still the flames were quiet until . . . a very soft drumbeat started up again. It started quiet, but as it became louder the trumpets started again too. The Martian could feel her pulse picking up and the heat starting to intensify as that feeling of joy started to fill her again. She was getting lost in her trance, she didn't want to ever leave. She felt so happy, relieved, excited. Why should she leave?

"Fuck!" Mars' eyes snapped open and she jumped back, cradling her right hand. She looked at the flames, feeling betrayed. Some time during her trance she had reached her hand into the fire. "W-when . . . why did I . . .?" Mars looked down at the angry red skin.

Panic kicked in and Mars jumped up quickly, frantically kicking sand into the fire before she burned herself again.

Mars speedily left her mediation room, going to lock herself back up in her chambers, but stopped when she came upon her secret lover's room. She stood in front of the blondes door, lifting her fist to knock, letting it hang in the air for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. _'I can't let her see me like this . . .'_ Rei gently pressed her hand to the door, resting her forehead against the hard wood, closing her eyes. She could feel the blonde's peaceful presence through the thick concrete walls and that alone brought her comfort and slowed her heartbeat back down to normal.

"Rei-chan?"

The dark haired girl quickly jumped away from the blonde's door, a deep blush burning on her face.

"A-Asuna . . .? What are you doing here?" Mars rubbed the back of her head.

"I'm on patrol . . . what are you doing here?" The orange haired girl raised one eyebrow, taking in Mars' disheveled appearance.

"I was um . . ." Mars dropped her hand, looking for a good excuse.

"Rei-chan! Your hand!" Asuna closed the distance between the two, taking the Martian's hand in her own.

"It's nothing." Mars looked off to the side.

"It sure doesn't look like nothing." Asuna leaned down, further inspecting Rei's wound. "What happened?"

"I burned myself while meditating. It happens." Mars tried to give Asuna a reassuring smile.

"Oh Rei-chan. What am I going to do with you?" Asuna sighed, looking up from Mars' burnt hand and into her amethyst eyes.

Another type of uneasy feeling settled into the pit of Mars' stomach as Asuna eyes flickered down to her lips. "A-Asuna? What are you doing?" Mars stumbled over her words, beyond uncomfortable.

Asuna just smiled, leaning in as Mars tried to lean back.

"What is going on here?" Minako's door suddenly opened. "Rei?" The blonde's brow furrowed as she took in her girlfriend's appearance, worry washing over her, but was replaced with anger and jealousy when she saw Asuna holding her lover's hand looking as if she was leaning in to kiss her. "Asuna?"

"I'm sorry to disturb you Minako-chan. I was patrolling and-"

"Then you should continue doing so." The blonde narrowed her eyes.

"But Rei-chan . . ."

"You need to worry about your job. I'll take care of this."

"Y-yes. Of course." Asuna blushed, scurrying off before Minako could murder her with her smoldering gaze.

Minako pulled Mars into her room, closing the door soundly behind her. "Mind telling me what that was about?"

"I-I was meditating and burned myself. Asuna ran into me in the halls and saw . . ."

"You burned yourself?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, it's nothing really." Mars blushed.

"Let me see." Venus pushed aside her jealousy in favor of looking after the raven haired girl, grabbing her hand, but before she could get a good look Mars pulled away.

"I told you it's fine. You don't need to worry." Mars looked off to the side. "I just need to go wrap it up."

"I can do that." Venus walked over to grab gauze, but Mars was already opening the door. "Hey, where are you going?" The blonde narrowed her eyes.

"I should be going to bed. I know we have a meeting with the Queen early tomorrow." Mars put on her best reassuring smile.

"Fine." Venus slammed her drawer shut. "Tell Asuna I said hi."

"Minako . . ." Rei felt a surge of guilt, starting to see how her behavior might look shady in a different way.

"I'll see you tomorrow Rei. We need to meet with the Queen at 9. Don't be late this time." Venus closed the door in her girlfriend's face before Rei could say anything else.

"Fuck." Rei sighed, walking to the infirmary with a heavy heart.

The next morning a very tired goddess of war rolled out of bed, letting out a soft sigh as she took in the deep circles under her eyes. She was too afraid to go to sleep the night before and on top of that she had managed to piss off her girlfriend who was only trying to help her.

 _'Today is going to be great.'_ Rei sarcastically thought to herself as she got ready and headed to the meet with everyone in the throne room to see only her girlfriend there.

"Hey." Mars tried to put on her best charming smile, but all she received was a sideways glance and a roll of the eyes. "Please don't tell me you're mad at me." Rei frowned, going to stand next to her lover.

"Do I need to remind you where we are?" Minako growled under her breath.

"Sorry . . ." Mars sighed, the usual fight she had in her was missing and it did not go unnoticed by the blonde.

"Hey guys! Look who is on time!" Makoto grinned cheekily at her Martian friend.

"Good one." Rei replied in a dry tone.

"Makoto!" Ami scolded the grinning brunette.

"Ah, Rei knows I'm playing with her." Makoto nudged Rei, but the Martian didn't even fight back. "Hey, is everything okay Rei-chan? You don't look too hot." Makoto's grin slipped from her face as she took in the appearance of her comrade.

"Everything is peachy." Mars frowned as the Queen made her entrance.

"I don't have much time so let's get straight to business today." The Queen didn't even bother to sit down, standing in front of the sailor senshi who were suddenly at attention. "The pads are just about done and I need to send Makoto and Ami to Mercury to learn how these devices work and make sure everything is in order. That means double the patrol for you and Rei Minako." The girls all nodded, knowing they were not needed to speak. "I trust you will all be able to handle this."

"Of course your majesty." Minako spoke for the group.

"Good. Makoto and Ami get ready immediately. You will be leaving once you have your things together. Meeting adjourned."

And with that the Queen left the throne room, leaving the girls to quietly walk out by themselves.

"Well that is kind of sudden." Makoto rubbed the back of her neck. "Are you two going to be okay by yourselves while we're gone?"

"We have to be." Rei sighed.

"Just get back as soon as possible. Double guard duty is never fun." Minako smiled, patting Makoto and Ami on the back before the went off to go pack.

"Guess it will be just us then huh?" Rei smiled at the blonde.

"Don't get any ideas." Minako frowned before walking off.

"Yup . . ." Rei sighed to herself. "I'm definitely in trouble . . . again."

A couple days went by and things had still not improved with the blonde. Every time Rei saw her she blatantly ignored her or just walked in the opposite direction, it was starting to drive the Martian crazy along with the lack sleep. Today was the day that Mars snapped. Today was the day the blonde was going to stop avoiding her whether she liked it or not.

The blonde was on patrol, her thoughts still plagued with the image of Asuna leaning in to kiss HER girlfriend, but what could she do? It's not like she could do anything. Anything and everything she and Mars did had to be in secret and when your whole relationship has to be hidden it makes it difficult to properly address any issue you might have. It was starting to drive the blonde mad.

Minako continued on with her endless thoughts about the Martian and the new captain of the assault team, replaying that moment when she opened her door that night over and over again in her head when an arm shot out from a dark hallway and pulled her in.

"What the-mmph!" Minako's loud cry of protest was promptly interrupted by two soft familiar lips. "Rei!" Venus pushed the Martian off of her. "What do you think you're-" Once again Mars firmly pressed her lips against the upset blondes, pushing her up against the wall. Venus stubbornly refused to kiss the dark haired girl back, lifting her hands to push back her girlfriend again.

Rei was ready for Minako's resistance this time and quickly grabbed the blondes wrist mid air, pinning them against the wall above her head. Minako felt a spark in the pit of her stomach at the Martian's rough actions, but was dead set on not kissing the other girl back. Instead she bit down hard on Rei's lower lip, hoping to deter the Martian that way, but found her lover was very resilient, taking the pain even when a trickle of blood went down her chin and a drop of blood hit the floor.

No matter how much Venus tried she couldn't hold out long against Rei's soft lips and insistent tongue. It wasn't long before she caved in and started kissing the miko back just as fiercely, running her tongue over Mars' lower lip, tasting copper from the crimson mess she left. A soft moan escaped the back of Rei's throat at the feeling of Minako's tongue on her again.

"Rei . . ." Minako sighed as Rei kissed down to the blonde's neck, sucking on the soft skin while her hands ran down the blonde's arms then down to her hips. "Rei . . . We could get caught and if we do we -"

"Damn the consequences." Mars growled against the blonde's skin, lifting her up against the wall while Minako instinctively wrapped her legs around the Martian's waist.

"B-but . . ." Minako blushed before Mars silenced her with another kiss, gripping her hips tightly.

"I hate the way things are between us right now . . ." Rei sighed, pulling away.

"Me too . . ." Minako ran her fingers through the martian's dark locks.

"You know I don't want anyone, but you right?"

"Not even Asuna?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"Especially not Asuna." Rei replied firmly.

"But what about the other night? It looked like-"

"I know what it looked like." Rei frowned. "She was trying to kiss me and I backed away. I really have no interest in anyone or anything other than you."

"Reiko." Minako blushed.

"Meet up with me tonight." Rei looked hopefully up at the blonde.

"It's dangerous." Minako bit her lower lip nervously as she cupped the miko's cheek.

"Please angel." Mars kissed the palm of Venus' hand.

Minako's heartbeat picked up and fluttered in her chest at the new nickname Mars had seemed to give her, looking into those dark amethyst eyes.

"O-okay." Minako blushed as a big grin spread across Rei's face.

"Perfect." Rei kissed Minako before letting the blonde down. "Meet me at the garden. Midnight." Mars placed her hand on the back of the blonde's neck.

"Okay, I will. Now get out of here before we get caught." Minako smiled back before Rei leaned in to capture Minako's lips in one more kiss before she pulled away. "Go!" Venus giggled, playfully pushing Mars away.

"Yes commander." Mars put up a mock salute with a smile on her face before running down the opposite way of the hallway.

"What am I going to do with you Reiko?" Minako sighed, leaning against the wall with a soft dreamy smile on her face.

Midnight rolled around and as usual Mars was wide awake. She had actually become accustomed to not sleeping and had learned to love the night and the stars when everything was quiet and it was just her. She began to explore the palace and the grounds outside and had stumbled upon something beautiful that she was all too excited to share with her secret lover who seemed to be running late.

Meanwhile Venus quietly left her room with a smile on her face ready to meet up with her girlfriend. She rounded the corner heading towards the garden when she bumped into someone. _'Shit.'_ Venus cursed herself for being so careless.

"Venus?" Came Markus' voice, the head of the guards that Mars was not too fond of.

"O-oh hey. Fancy seeing you here." Venus smiled her flirty smile hoping he would fall into a trance and let her leave without question.

"What are you doing up so late?" He smiled, leaning against the wall.

"Oh you know how it is. Two of my squad members aren't here so I have to pick up the slack." Venus shrugged.

"I see. Well maybe you and I could slip away and take a break? Maybe I can help you relieve some of that stress." His smiled turned lecherous as he pushed off the wall, stepping up to the blonde.

"I-I don't know . . ." Venus bit her lower lip.

"Awe come on doll. It will be fun. I promise." He tucked a blonde lock behind her ear, sending an uncomfortable shiver down her spine, but judging by the look on his face he thought it was due to other things.

"Maybe some other time? As you know I'm very busy already." Venus put on her best smile.

"I'll make it quick." He grinned, placing his arm around her waist, and pulling her in.

 _'How enticing.'_ Venus internally rolled her eyes.

"Oi, what's going on here?" Came the voice of another guard. "Oh, sorry Markus." The younger blonde man blushed. "I didn't mean-"

"It's fine. I was just leaving." Venus smiled, patting Markus on the shoulder and breezing past him.

"I'll see you around doll." The brown haired man with matching chocolate eyes winked at her before continuing his patrol.

 _'The nerve of some people.'_ Minako inwardly fumed to herself as she made her way to the garden to see her girlfriend sitting on the grass. A genuine smile crept onto her face as she snuck up behind Rei, placing her hands over her eyes. "Guess wh-" Before Minako could get the sentence out Rei grabbed her by the wrist and threw her over her shoulder, causing the blonde to land on her back, looking up at the sky.

"M-Minako? I'm sorry! I thought, I mean . . ."

"It's okay Rei." Minako smiled, sitting up. "You've been quite jumpy lately."

"Yeah . . ." Mars rubbed the back of her head, looking off to the side. "You're late."

"I'm sorry, I got held up." Minako sighed.

"What could possibly hold you up at midnight?" Rei raised an eyebrow, suspicion starting to boil in her blood.

"Nothing important." Minako smiled, kissing her girlfriend soundly before she could get mad. "Now why did you bring me here?"

With one kiss Venus seemed to calm Mars' nerves and made her forget why she was mad at the blonde to begin with. "I want to show you something." Rei smiled, standing up and holding out her hand to her lover.

Venus gratefully took Mars' hand and was helped up. She expected the Martian to let go, but she didn't as she walked towards the exit of the palace. "R-Rei. What if someone sees . . .?"

"No one is going to see us Minako. We won't even be in the palace." Rei smiled, letting go of Minako's hand to climb the gate.

"Who would have thought a Martian could be so rebellious." Minako giggled as she followed Rei, climbing over the fence.

"Us Martians are just full of surprises." Mars grinned, helping her girlfriend down and heading to the cliffs off in the distance.

"You're not taking me out here to kill me are you?" Venus raised an eyebrow as they reached a cave.

"Damn! Why do you have to always spoil my surprises?" Mars laughed.

"It's kind of my thing." Venus smiled back, but her smile faltered when she saw Mars entering a cave. "M-Mars it's dark in there."

"Don't tell me the captain of the sailor senshi is afraid of the dark." Mars grinned, poking her head out of the cave, but her smile fell when she saw the look on her girlfriends face. "Hey, you have a human torch with you. See?" Mars lit a fire in her hand, slightly illuminating the cave. "I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

"O-okay. I trust you." Minako gulped and smiled lightly, taking Mars' outstretched hand that wasn't being used to ignite a flame, entering the dark warm cave. "Where are we going?"

"Some place where we don't have to worry about prying eyes." Mars smiled, looking over her shoulder as Minako looked around the surprisingly big cave. It was barren, the stones were wet, and never seemed to end.

Minako couldn't help the soft smile that came onto her lips when her gaze fell onto their interlocked hands. _'Why can't we always be like this? Why do we have to hide? Why does it matter if I love my subordinate? Why does it . . . Wait . . . love?'_ Venus' eyes widened when that word easily popped up into her head when she thought of the fiery Martian.

Before Minako could fully freak out about this new revelation Mars suddenly stopped causing her to run into her back. "H-hey! A little warning would be nice!" Venus scowled.

"Close your eyes." Mars smiled, turning around to face the blonde.

"Excuse me?" Minako raised an eyebrow.

"Must you always be so difficult?" Mars sighed, coming up behind the blonde, extinguishing her flame, and covering Minako's baby blues softly with her hands. Minako didn't usually like being put in this type of situation, but she couldn't deny that the Martian's body pressed against her back and her warm breath hitting her neck brought her comfort. "Don't worry. I won't lead you into a wall . . . unless you want to continue being difficult." Mars smiled cheekily.

"Rei!" Minako growled.

"Okay, okay. I won't lead you into a wall. Just walk straight and I'll tell you when to stop." Mars kissed the blonde's cheek before they started walking forward.

"You promise you're not leading me to my death?" Minako laughed.

"I never made any such promises." Rei grinned.

"I swear if you-"

"We're here." Rei removed her hands and Minako was speechless. They seemed to hit the end of the cave in a giant cavern and in the middle of the cavern there was a big pool of water that seemed to be filled with stars glowing neon blue shining so bright it reflected onto the walls.

"What is this place . . .?" Minako looked around in awe.

"Just stumbled upon it and found out through Ami that the blue is caused by bioluminescent plankton." Rei grinned.

"You showed this to Ami too?" Minako crossed her arms, feeling a little bit of jealousy towards her subordinate.

"Never. Only you." Rei smiled, turning the blonde around and kissing her soundly. "There is no one else I would rather share this with."

"R-Reiko." Minako blushed.

"Come on, let's jump in." Mars grinned, kicking off her shoes, stripping off her shirt, her skirt, and underwear.

"Are you sure it's . . ." Mars ran and dove into the water. ". . . safe?" Venus finished with a sigh. "You're such a child sometimes." Venus laughed as she stripped down until she was nude as well, slowly making her way to the edge of the water. "Reiko?" Minako searched the water, starting to become worried that her lover hadn't come back up for air yet, but before she could worry too much Mars suddenly popped back up and grabbed the blonde by the hand, pulling her into the surprisingly warm water. "Reiko!" Venus sputtered, coming back up for air only to hear the Martian laughing. "Not funny!" The blonde growled, splashing water at the miko.

"It's a little bit funny." Mars smiled cheekily.

"Oh yeah? Let's see how funny it is when it happens to you!" Venus lunged forward, pushing Mars' head under the water and holding her there for a couple seconds for good measure before letting go so her girlfriend could come up for air.

Mars came back up to hear the melodic laugh of Venus. "Now that wasn't very nice." Mars had a mischievous look on her face as she swam towards the blonde, backing her up until her back was pressed against the cool cave wall, placing her hand on the edge next to Venus.

Mars looked at the blonde and felt her heart stop at the sight before her. The glowing neon blue really did make her goddess of love look angelic; her blue eyes seemed to glow the same color as the plankton, her wet blonde hair shimmered, and her tan skin seemed to shine in the light as well. "You're so beautiful."

Venus' breath caught in her throat at the look in Mars' eyes. There was the usual desire swimming in her amethyst pools, but something much more prominent was shining through right now. Before Minako could say something to lighten the mood Mars leaned in, kissing the blonde softly and in a way she had never done before. She kissed her in a way that made her want to cry from the overwhelming sweetness and emotion.

"Rei . . ." Minako pulled away, unable to bear the ache in her chest anymore.

"Don't pull away from me . . ." Rei said softly, leaning in again to capture Minako's soft pink lips in a deeper kiss, running her hand down Minako's side. Rei kissed the corner of the blonde's lips as her fingers danced across her lovers hip before making her way to her inner thigh. Minako wrapped her arms around Rei's neck as she pushed two fingers into her goddess slowly, causing a soft gasp to slip past Minako's perfect lips.

Rei kissed her cheek and then kissed down to her neck, biting down on the skin softly as she pressed her thumb against her tight bundle of nerves as she pulled her fingers out and back into her lover, curling her fingers near the end. Soft moans escaped the blondes lips as Mars continued her slow ministrations, already feeling like she was on the verge of frenzy.

Rei increased her speed a bit as she buried her face into the crook of the blonde's neck, breathing just as hard as the girl she had trapped against the wall. Minako could feel Mars' heart pounding in time with her own as she wrapped her legs around the Martian's waist, slowly moving her hips to the rhythm Rei was setting.

"You're so perfect." Rei mumbled against the blondes neck as she pushed her fingers in deeper, moving her thumb faster, gripping the edge of the pool tightly as she felt herself becoming consumed with the goddess before her.

"R-Reiko . . . I already feel close . . ." Minako bit her lower lip as she closed her eyes and gripped Rei's shoulders tightly.

Mars kissed up Venus' neck, biting her lower earlobe, tugging on it lightly as she pushed in a little deeper. "Then come for me angel." Mars breathed into her ear and that was enough to make Minako come undone, gripping Mars tighter as she moaned her name, moving her hips in time with the Martian's hand.

Mars kissed Venus soundly as she picked up the pace a bit to help Minako ride out her orgasm that seemed to be lasting forever until finally Minako let out a long sigh against her lips, her body turning to mush.

Minako shuddered as Mars slowly pulled her digits out of her lover, resting her forehead against her own. "W-wow . . ." The blonde blushed. _'I never thought doing anything that wasn't rough could feel so good and get me off like that . . .'_

"Yeah . . ." Rei smiled dreamily at the blonde.

"What's that look for?" Minako blushed.

"What look?" Mars tilted her head to the side.

"That look." Minako would have never believed a Martian could look so purely innocent.

"I think that's just my face. It's what I always look like." Mars grinned causing a melodic laugh to trickle out of Venus' mouth.

"Well fix it." Venus smiled back.

"Yes commander!" Mars did another fake salute before swimming away onto her back, looking up at the dark ceiling of the cave that seemed to sparkle and shimmer as she floated in the water.

Minako promptly swam after her, turning to float on her back next to her girlfriend, admiring the sparkling cave as well before turning her head to see Mars seemingly deep in thought. Venus intertwined their fingers once again, gaining the Martian's attention. "What are you thinking about?"

"I wish we could stay here forever . . ." Mars said it so softly Venus almost didn't hear it, her eyes suddenly filled with so much despair that Minako wondered why the ceiling above them didn't crumble from the crippling sadness.

"You know we can't . . ." Venus replied just as softly, a deep ache in her chest.

"Yeah, but it's nice to pretend." Mars looked over at the blonde, smiling softly.

"Yeah." Minako smiled sadly back, looking back up at the ceiling deep in thought herself.

For the next couple hours the two simply floated around in silence, just enjoying the others quiet comfort and company.

"We should get back . . . the sun will be rising soon . . ." Minako broke the silence swimming to the edge of the pool. Mars swam up behind the blonde, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her cheek on her shoulder. "Reiko . . ."

"I just need one more moment. I'm engraining tonight into my brain. . . I don't want to ever forget." Mars said softly and Venus let out a sad sigh, placing her hand over the Martian's wrapped around her waist.

"Me too." Venus smiled.

After a moment Mars reluctantly let go of her lover and they both got out of the pool, slowly getting dressed so they could prolong the inevitable. Mars lead them out of their cave and when they exited it wasn't nearly as dark as when they went in; the sky was a very soft blue as the sun started to peak over the horizon. They climbed back over the gate and she lead Minako to her room. They stood outside the door for a moment, a quiet sadness settling between them once the reality hit that they had to go back to hiding.

"Are you . . ." Minako bit her lower lip, seeming to get stuck on what she wanted to say. "Are you doing okay?"

"Of course. Why?" Mars rubbed the back of her head nervously.

"I don't know, you just seem kind of . . . off. You're worrying everyone." Venus frowned.

"There's no need to worry. I've just been tired. I've been cautious when it comes to meditating so sleep hasn't been coming easy to me lately." Rei smiled a bashful smile.

"You know you can talk to me or Ami or Makoto whenever right?" Minako tilted her head to the side.

"I know . . ." Mars looked off to the side.

"Well . . ." Minako had so much more she wanted to say, but knew the longer they lingered, the greater the danger. " . . . I guess I should be getting to bed now." Minako sighed.

"Yeah . . ." Rei smiled a sad smile at Minako, reluctant to let go of the comfort the blonde brought her. Being around the goddess of love had calmed all of her nerves and made her forget everything that had been troubling her.

"Don't look so sad. I'll see you in a couple hours." Minako smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I know you need your beauty sleep." Mars grinned back halfheartedly.

"Night . . . well I mean good morning Reiko." Venus smiled, throwing caution to the wind as she placed a soft chaste kiss on the edge of Mars' lips.

Mars squeezed the blonde's hand softly one more time before she reluctantly let go and went back to her room. Venus watched her lover round the corner and disappear out of sight before she quietly entered her room, closing the door behind her, and leaning against the cool wood before sliding down onto the ground, looking up at the ceiling. _'I love her . . . '_

The next morning, well afternoon, Mars woke up with a smile on her face. She had been dream free and had the best sleep she has had in a while. She rolled out of bed and got ready before she walked to the garden with a spring in her step, deciding to surprise her lover with some flowers she picked. As she rounded the corner she walked by two guards, one of them being Markus who she completely detested once he tried to make a move on her girl. She tried to ignore him, but couldn't help her ears pricking at the sound of Minako's name leaving his mouth.

"Yeah, you caught me." Markus smiled sheepishly. "Minako came to my bedroom begging for it so what was I supposed to do? You don't turn a girl like that down so I gave her the pounding of a life time." He smirked.

"Wow, you're so lucky." The other guard sighed. "I thought something might have happened when I ran into you guys last night."

"And let me tell you . . . that girl is a freak." He smirked. "She even let me-"

"Should you be really talking about your commanding officer like that?" Rei growled, unable to sit and listen anymore.

"I'm just talking with my friend." Markus smirked, seemingly a lot more confident in the face of the goddess of war with his friend by his side.

"No, you're slandering the captains name." Mars stepped closer to the cocky brunette, gripping the flowers tightly in her hand.

"It's not slander if it's true." He grinned, nudging his friend who looked a little uneasy.

"It's not." Mars narrowed her eyes.

"Listen, we all know you have a thing for that sweet little taste, but you don't need to be getting upset. I'll let you have a turn with her once I've had my fill." He winked at Mars.

"Excuse me?" Mars gritted her teeth, trying to contain herself, but an overwhelming feeling of rage started to fill her. Her blood was boiling and her guts were churning as she heard that steady drumbeat start to make its way into her ears again and her head started to become foggy.

"I said you can have your turn when I'm done. There's no reason to be upset. You'll love it I swear." He smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "I mean there's not much to her except nice tits, ass, and that tight little-"

Mars head butted the guard hard in the nose before he could finish his sentence, sending him stumbling back into the wall. He started to open his mouth to speak with blood rushing down his nose, but it was already far too late; he had pushed the Martian over the edge. She swung her fist, connecting with his jaw, hearing a satisfying crack. She pulled her fist back to hit him again, but was quickly grabbed from behind by the other guard, holding her back.

"Mars! Calm down!" The young blonde tried to soothe her anger, but there was no soothing her anger.

"Get off me!" Mars flipped the young boy onto his back, grabbing Markus' shirt to punch him again.

"Rei!"

Mars stopped mid swing, the fury leaving her eyes when she looked up to see concerned blue ones running to her. She let go of the man, dropping her fist. Her heart plummeted into her stomach as her gaze dropped to the ground, saw the blood dripping down her knuckles, and the crushed flower on the ground that she had destroyed.

 _'Fuck.'_

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 **AN: Welp, there it is. I hope the wait was worth it :D Please let this horrible author know what you thought of this chapter. I do so enjoy seeing your reviews and getting insight into what you guys think. Until next time BooBooKittyFuck out!**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Well I promised to update more often and I'm sticking to it since I have a tiny bit more free time at the moment. Thank you to every one who reviewed my last chapter even though it took me forever to write something new and update. I do so thoroughly enjoy writing this fic and I'm glad that you guys seem to enjoy it as well. I could have held off on updating to get more reviews, but I'm not going to be petty like that. I'm just as eager to post updates as you guys are to read them :) Anyways, I'll stop jibber jabbering and let you get on to the new chapter. Hope you like it :D**

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 **Chapter 18: When I Am Queen**

Everything happened so fast and all at once . . . One moment Venus was patrolling the grounds, daydreaming the next she saw the woman plaguing her mind holding a bloody fist over Markus and the younger blonde boy from the night before lying on his back. The Martian bore a murderous look and it didn't look like she was going to stop her rampage any time soon unless she was interrupted. Venus was at a loss and her heart plummeted to the ground as she saw Rei's fist flying through the air, ready to strike again.

"Rei!"

Was that really her own voice? Were these really her feet running to her lover who seemed to stop mid swing, her eyes wide with a sudden realization of what she had done.

"Rei . . ." Minako stopped in front of the raven haired girl who stood there frozen, hands now dropped to her sides, amethyst eyes fixed on a crushed flower on the ground.

"I'm sorry . . . I didn't . . ." Mars was unable to properly formulate what had happened.

"You've really done it now." Markus smirked, stepping away from the wall, holding his hand under his bleeding nose.

"Markus , please-" Venus started, but was interrupted by the loud clamor of feet and armor rushing down the halls.

"What happened here?" One of the guards spoke up.

"This . . . this savage attacked me!" Markus pointed at the fire senshi, playing the part of damsel in distress perfectly.

Mars narrowed her eyes, stepping towards the brunette guard, who took a satisfyingly subtle step back before Venus stuck her arm out, keeping her subordinate at bay.  
"Mars!" Venus snapped firmly in front of prying eyes. "I can handle things here. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding." She spoke firmly and seemingly confidently to the other guards.

"Tell that to my broken nose." Markus growled.

"You're lucky I didn't break more than that." Mars sneered back.

"I-I'm sorry commander, I'm sure you do, but . . . I have to report this to the Queen. I'm sure you understand." The leader of the group responded with a frown.

"I understand." Venus sighed. "I'll take Mars for the time being, you take Markus. We'll be in the training grounds if we're needed."

"Yes commander." The guard bowed, grabbing Markus by the arm as he walked off with the rest of the group.

Venus watched them walk away, worry filling her gut as they turned the corner. She turned back to look at her lover, but found Mars already storming off.

"Hey! Mars!" Venus ran after the dark haired girl, grabbing her by the arm once she caught up to her.

"Don't." Mars growled, yanking her arm out of the blonde's grasp, starting to walk away.

"Don't walk away from me!" Minako shot back, grabbing the martian's arm more firmly, dragging her to the training grounds. Once they were inside Minako let go, setting her gaze on the angry fire senshi. "Mind telling me what the hell all of that was about and why the hell you're snapping at me?"

"Is it true?" Mars looked down at the ground, balling her hands into a tight fist.

"Is what true?" Minako looked beyond puzzled.

"Is it true . . ." Mars let out a long breath unable to say what she didn't even want to think. ". . . that you and Markus . . ."

"That Markus and I what?"

"Is it true that you fucked Markus?" Mars finally lifted her head back up, locking her smoldering gaze onto Minako's deep blue eyes.

"What?" Minako asked softly; it felt as if the air left her lungs.

"That's why you were late last night isn't it?" Mars accused.

"No! He sure tried last night, that's what held me up. I was trying to get away from him. Why would you ever think such a thing?" Venus couldn't believe that Mars would think so lowly of her.

"Well that's what he was saying to that other guard when I overheard him . . . He said that you . . ."

"He was lying." Venus shot back.

"Well either way I couldn't let him talk about you like that. He deserved a lot worse than he got." Mars growled, looking off to the side.

"Rei . . ." The love senshi stepped forward to place her hand on Mars' cheek, but she hastily retracted her hand before their skin ever made contact when she heard footsteps.

"The Queen wants to see you both in the throne room." Came the voice of the guard from before.

Minako stood silently with her eyes locked onto Rei's, trying to reassure the Martian with her gaze that everything would be okay before she turned around with a soft smile to the guard. "Of course. Let's go."

The walk to the throne room was eerily silent, all you could hear were their footsteps, and it seemed as if everyone had their gaze locked on the three. Once they arrived at their destination the guard closed the door behind them as the two made their way in front of a very unhappy looking queen.

"Your majest-"

"Don't bother me with formalities." The Queen interrupted the martian who promptly snapped her mouth shut, knowing when it was better to be silent than to talk. "What is this I hear of you attacking not just a guard, but the HEAD of the guards?"

"He. . . he was slandering the commanders name." Mars stood up straighter, trying to compose herself.

"Oh? How?" The Queen leaned forward in her seat.

"He was saying some . . . distasteful things. I told him he shouldn't be speaking of the commander in such a way. He disagreed." Mars replied simply.

"So you broke his nose and bruised his jaw? You know, he has a different recollection of the events."

"He-"

"That's enough from you." The Queen snapped again at the fire senshi, turning her attention to Venus now. "What is your recollection of events Venus?"

"I didn't see how anything started." Venus replied, trying not to shift her gaze to Mars. "I was patrolling when I saw Mars and Markus."

"And what was their position when you arrived?" The Queen asked dryly, glancing briefly at the dark haired girl.

"Mars . . ." Venus looked down, she was between a rock and a hard spot. She wanted to protect her girlfriend from the Queen's wrath, but she also knew that if she lied they would face much greater trouble. "Mars had a hold of Markus' shirt with her fist raised and Markus had blood running down his nose. I didn't hear anything. I just saw them there and immediately intervened."

"I think I've heard enough. You're dismissed." The Queen sat there with her chin propped on her folded hands. Both girls bowed, silently heading for the door. "Except you Venus. You stay." The Queen stood up as Venus and Mars faltered in their steps. Mars looked back at the blonde who tried to offer a reassuring smile before she turned back around and Mars reluctantly made her exit. "There's more to this whole situation that you're not telling me Venus." The Queen sighed, walking towards the blonde.

"I already told you-"

"Don't take me for a fool." The Queen interrupted the blonde icily. "I know." She sighed.

"You . . . you know what?" Venus gulped uneasily, avoiding the Queen's gaze at all costs as she approached her.

"Do you think I don't know what goes on in my own palace?"

"I . . ." Venus's mouth went dry.

"I have known for a while. I allowed this little tryst to go on, because it didn't seem to effect you or Mars' performance, but seeing things now . . . I was a fool to let it go on for as long as I did." The Queen looked almost sad, a very big contrast from her icy demeanor before.

"Your majesty, I don't know what you're talking about." Venus put on her best confused face.

"It's time to stop pretending Venus. You don't have to play stupid anymore." The Queen frowned. "Whatever you two have going on . . . lust . . . love . . ." Venus' breath hitched in her throat at the mention of love. "It has to end. Now."

"B-but . . ." Tears sprung to Venus' eyes. She desperately tried to keep them at bay and compose herself.

"I'm sorry Venus." The Queen sighed, placing her hand on the commander's shoulder.

"P-please don't make me." A stray tear fell from the blonde's deep blue eyes, her heart sinking to the ground, and a lump forming in her throat.

"It gives me no small amount of pleasure to do this, but I have to look out for what is best for this kingdom and these things are forbidden for a reason. She could have killed that guard."

"What do you think she will do when I end it?" Venus shot back, forgetting her place.

"Would you prefer for me to send her back to her home planet and have them behead her for treason?" The Queen snapped back.

"She won't just let it go. I know she won't . . ." Venus bit her lower lip, looking down.

"Do what you have to do to end it. Permanently. Otherwise I will be left with no choice, but to take matters into my own hands understand?" The Queen stood up straighter, trying not to let her heart break for the pair.

"Yes your majesty." Venus replied softly, tears freely flowing down her face now.

"I won't punish her for this offense, but should anything else happen you know what the result will be."

"T-Thank you your majesty." Venus choked out, slowly trying to pull herself back together. "Am I dismissed . . .?"

The Queen let a little sorrow shine through her eyes, looking at the upset blonde, before tearing her gaze away from the commander. "Yes." Venus bowed before heading towards the door, unable to say anything else as she left. The Queen felt the world weighing down on her as she turned around to leave, but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her daughter looking at her with tears in her eyes.

"Mother . . . how could you?" A tear fell from Serenity's angry blue eyes.

"Serenity. . ." The Queen sighed.

"Why would you break them apart? I'm . . . I'm the one who tried to push them together . . . and when they finally got together you . . . you tore them apart . . ."

"I did what I had to." The Queen replied tiredly.

"You didn't have to-"

"I will not put you or the kingdom in danger for them!" The Queen shot back.

"How am I or the kingdom in danger, because two people are in love?" Serenity glared at her mother.

"Do you think they would protect you or the kingdom before each other?" Serenity opened her mouth, but the Queen wasn't done. "No, they wouldn't. We have these rules in place for a reason. You and the kingdom must always comes first. They took an oath, they swore their allegiance to us and this kingdom, not each other."

"I don't care." Serenity childishly responded.

"I don't expect a child like you to understand these things, but one day when you are Queen-"

"When I am Queen . . ." Serenity balled her hands into tight fists; if looks could kill her mother would be dead. "When I am Queen people will be free to live their lives how they please and love whoever they want."

 _-End Flashback-_

Minako sprung up in bed, sweat beading down her body, and tears stinging her eyes. Her heart sat heavy in her chest as she looked around the room, trying to place what era she was in and where she was. Relief washed over her when she realized she was in the present with her lover in bed. _'Wait . . . where's Rei?'_ Minako suddenly felt cold realizing the Martian wasn't slumbering next to her. She looked over to the clock to see it was seven pm and the sun had just set. _'We must have fallen asleep after all of our . . . activities.'_

The senshi of love stepped onto the cold floor, shivering at the contact, before she threw on underwear and a shirt. She quietly walked down the stairs in search of her lover, but didn't find her in the living room, rubbing her arms when she felt a cold breeze. She turned around to see the back door wide open. _'That's strange . . '_ Minako followed the trail Rei seemed to have left her, heading out back to see the Martian sitting on a bench, looking dazed and out of it.

"There you are." Minako let out a sigh of relief, crouching down in front of her girlfriend. "What are you doing out here Rei?" She tilted her head to the side, but Rei didn't respond. "Rei . . .?"

A small smile formed on Rei's face. She could feel the flames and the soft thudding of the drums increase her pulse to a pleasant pace. This is heaven, no, there was no way heaven could feel this good. She wanted to stay here forever. All of her wildest dreams could come true here, she could live here for the rest of eternity in complete bliss sitting right on the edge of ecstasy.

"Rei?"

 _'Who is that . . .? That voice . . . it sounds so familiar . . .'_

"Rei."

Rei started to go towards the voice, but felt herself being pulled back by the voices whispering sweet nothings into her ear. She felt torn. She wanted to stay here, but she wanted to go to that person too. Did she have to choose? Couldn't that person just come here and bathe in the flames with her?

Rei's decision was made for her when she felt something pull her from her trance. Something incredibly soft and delicious. Something even better than this ecstasy she was swimming in. Her eyes fluttered open and realized the soft delicious thing tickling her senses was Minako's lips pressed against her own.

"Are you okay?" Minako pulled away, her blonde hair shimmering in the moonlight as her bright blue eyes gazed at her curiously.

"I . . ." Rei started, licking her lips, and getting the familiar taste of Minako's lip gloss in her mouth. "yeah."

"What are you doing out here? You seemed like you were . . . meditating or something."

"I um . . ." Rei looked around suddenly realizing she was outside, her heart starting to hammer in her chest when everything started to come back to her. _'H-how did I get out here . . .? Last thing I remember is passing out next to Minako and then . . . the drums . . . the trumpets . . . the fire . . . no . . . this makes no sense.'_

"Rei?" Minako tilted her head to the side, looking quizzically at the Martian, snapping Rei out of her thoughts.

"Sorry." Rei blushed, rubbing the back of her head. "I came outside to get a little fresh air after you fell asleep. I must have been more tired than I thought and fell asleep out here." Rei lied through her teeth, too afraid to say what was happening to her out loud.

"Well get back in bed, it's cold without you in it." Minako smiled, standing up, and holding her hand out to her girlfriend.

"Yes commander." Rei grinned back half heartedly, her mind still elsewhere as she took Minako's hand and stood up only for the blonde to tug her hand, and pull her into a deep kiss. All of her troubling thoughts flew out the window when she felt those soft pink lips pressed against hers and Minako's hands tangle in her dark locks.

"What was that for?" Rei blushed.

"Nothing, I just wanted to." Minako said softly, leaning her forehead against Rei's. "I . . . I don't want to take this life and what we have for granted. I want to engrain everything into my brain. I don't want to ever forget." She closed her eyes, running her hands down Rei's arm, trying to memorize the feel of the Martian's skin underneath her fingertips.

"Me too." Rei smiled, pulling Minako closer. The feel of Minako's heart pounding against her own was enough to calm her down and bring her back to reality. "Did you have a flashback or something?"

"You didn't?" Minako pulled back a bit, confusion swimming in her blue eyes.

"I . . . no . . ." Rei frowned. _'All I had was that weird dream. That was a dream right? The drums . . . the trumpets . . . it doesn't make sense. Why would she have a flashback that included me and I didn't?'_

"That's weird." Minako scrunched her nose. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I guess we still know the exact science of these flashbacks." _'Or maybe something is blocking me from seeing them. No. That's crazy . . . Right?'_

"We should probably ask Artemis and Luna about that." Minako sighed as she tugged Rei back into her house.

"I'm sure it's nothing. I don't think-" Rei started, but was interrupted by Minako's phone buzzing on the coffee table. "Who could that be?" The miko was secretly grateful for the random well timed interruption.

"It's Usagi." Minako frowned as she picked up the phone and saw the smiling face of their princess. "I better answer." Minako clicked the accept button reluctantly before putting her phone to her ear. "Hey Usagi. What's up?"

"Meeting at Rei's place in one hour."

"Alright Liam Neeson. Mind telling me why?" The blonde smirked at her own witty comment.

"Who is Liam Neeson?" The joke obviously went over Usagi's head.

"You know . . . the guy from Taken . . ."

"Taken?"

"Never mind." Venus sighed. "I'll be there." And with that Minako clicked end on her phone before tossing it onto the couch.

"What was that about?" Rei raised an eyebrow curiously at the blonde.

"You're not going to be happy." Minako ran her hand through her blonde locks.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Makoto sighed as she, Ami, and the blonde headed up the stairs of the Hikawa shrine.

"We've run out of options and now we're back to plan A which we obviously should have done to begin with." Usagi bore a determined look, gazing straight ahead.

"There is no way this is going to end well." Ami nervously rubbed her arm.

"Come on, there's no way Rei-chan will burn down her own house. That would be crazy!" Usagi smiled brightly, trying to cheer up her companions. "Rei-chan may have a short temper sometimes, but she sure isn't crazy."

"She only has a short temper when it comes to you and I'm starting to see why." Makoto growled under her breath as they reached the top of the steps.

"What was that Makoto-chan?" Usagi bore the same smile, completely oblivious to the brunette's comment.

"Nothing." Makoto smiled back, quickly knocking on the door before Usagi could say anything else while Ami tried to stifle her laughter.

"Why do you even bother knocking anymore?" Rei sighed as she opened her door. "You all have been here so many times the last couple of weeks that you might as well live here."

"Are you saying you want to be roommates Rei-chan?" Usagi started to get herself excited.

"What!? No, no, and no! I enjoy my sanity." Rei crossed her arms heading into her living room.

"Awe, but we would have so much fun!" Usagi pouted.

"Yeah Rei. You guys would have a blast." Makoto smirked as Rei's eye subtly twitched out of irritation.

"Don't provoke her Makoto-chan." Ami scolded her girlfriend.

"Yeah Makoto-chan." It was Rei's turn to irritate Makoto as the grin dropped from the brunette's face.

"I'm here. Sorry I'm late." Minako rushed in through the door, her cheeks turning slightly pink when the miko sent her a subtle knowing smirk.

"Well now that we're all here tell me why the fuck we are having yet another last minute meeting." Rei's subtle smirk fell as she glared at Usagi.

"I need you all to come with me." Usagi sighed, suddenly becoming uncharacteristically serious as she started walking through Rei's house.

"Huh? What the hell is going on?" Rei raised an eyebrow as she and the rest of the group followed their princess, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach.

"There is something that has been troubling me . . ." Usagi looked down, her tone grave.

"Is everything okay?" Minako asked as she and Rei sent each other a skeptical look.

"No, not really." Usagi sighed, stopping in front of Rei's closet, and opening the door. "This should explain everything." Rei and Minako looked curiously into the spacious closet.

"Dumpling head, this doesn't make any sen-" Before Rei could finish her sentence she felt a pair of strong arms shove her into the dark space with Minako following close behind. Both girl stumbled and fell into a tangled heap on the floor and before they could even look up the light seemed to disappear as Usagi slammed the door. "Usagi!" The miko jumped up and ran to the door. She jiggled the handle, trying to open it, but it was firmly in place. "What the fuck is this about?" Rei slammed her shoulder against the door, but it didn't budge. The princess had obviously placed a chair under the handle of the door.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Minako jumped up as well and stood at the door next to Rei, hitting the wood hard with the palm of her hand repeatedly.

"You guys have been entirely too hostile to each other when it's obvious that you care for one another!" Usagi shouted back on the other end of the door.

"So your solution is to lock us in a closet? Are you five?" Minako shrieked. "Makoto and Ami, as your commander I order you to let us out right now!"

Makoto and Ami looked at each other uneasily as Usagi's eye twitched out of irritation. "Makoto and Ami as your princess I order you to stand guard at this door! I outrank both you and Rei Minako-chan!"

"This is absurd!" Minako yelled back.

"I'm not letting you two out until you kiss and make up!" Usagi crossed her arms childishly.

"We have already made up so this is entirely unnecessary and completely crazy!" Minako glared at the door.

"Yeah right! As if I'm going to fall for that!" The princess stuck her tongue out at the door as if Minako and Rei could see her.

"During this whole ordeal I have been nice enough not to mention that I can just burn this damn door down if I need to." Rei growled, lighting a fire in her hand.

"And burn your whole house down in the process? I don't think so Rei-chan! I already considered that option!" Usagi smiled triumphantly.

"Damnit dumpling head!" Rei slammed her fist into the door. "When I get out of here you're going to get it!"

"Yeah, saying that is totally going to get her to let us out." Minako sighed leaning against the wall before sliding down into a sitting position.

"Well what do you propose we do?" Rei growled, looking over at the blonde.

"Kiss and make up?" Minako smirked, raising her eyebrow suggestively.

"Hardi har har. Good one Minako." Rei sighed, sliding down the wall to sit next her girlfriend.

Minako grinned as she got on top of the fire senshi, straddling her waist and wrapping her arms loosely around her neck. "Who said I was joking?" The blonde leaned forward, pressing her lips against Rei's, softly biting the raven haired girl's lower lip before she pulled away. "Usagi wants us to kiss and make up, then I guess we will have to do just that. This will teach her to mess with us."

"You're so sexy when you're being evil and scheming." Rei smirked as she leaned forward, gripping Minako's hips tightly and capturing her pink lips in a deep kiss.

Minako tangled her hands in Rei's dark locks and ran her tongue along her lower lip before she gripped Rei's hair at the base of her skull and pulled just hard enough to tilt her head back, giving her better access to Rei's mouth. She pushed her tongue past her lovers lips, massaging the fire senshi's tongue with her own as she started to move her hips against the girl trapped beneath her.

Rei snaked her hands up underneath the back of Minako's shirt, pulling the blonde in impossibly closer as she explored her lovers mouth. Minako's back arched and a soft moan escaped her lips when Rei dragged her nails down the soft flesh of her back.

"You're so fucking hot." Rei breathed heavily as Minako pulled away, gripping the hem of her own shirt and lifting it over her head, throwing it haphazardly off to the side.

Rei lifted her hand, gently cupping Minako's cheek as she ran her thumb over her plump lower lip. A fire ignited in the pit of her stomach when Minako locked eyes with her and she grabbed Rei's wrist, keeping her hand firmly in place as she took the miko's digit into her mouth, lightly running her tongue along it before retracting it from her mouth.

"I don't hear any talking!" Usagi yelled from the other side.

"Oh, she's going to hear a lot more than talking." Rei growled as she grabbed Minako's bra straps and yanked her back to her, kissing the blonde hard as her hands roamed her girlfriends almost naked body.

"Guys?" Usagi started to worry from the other side. "Do you think they killed each other?" The princess looked over at Makoto and Ami.

"Reiko." Minako moaned softly against Rei's mouth as the raven haired girl ran her hands up Minako's thighs, squeezing them when she got dangerously close to where Minako needed her the most. "Don't stop." Minako moaned softly as Rei kissed down to her neck, sucking on the flesh, and biting down before returning to the blonde's enticing lips.

Rei's hands inched towards Minako's underwear, starting to push it aside when a bright light lit up the once dark closet. Both girls pulled away, breathing heavily to see a very shocked Usagi, Makoto, and Ami standing in the doorway.

"My eyes!" Usagi cried as she turned around quickly, acting as if she was a child who just walked in on her parents.

"You told us to kiss and make up." Minako smirked as she got off of her girlfriend and grabbed her shirt, promptly putting it back on while Rei sat there looking pissed.

"I didn't mean it literally! And even if I did mean it literally, you guys were doing a lot more than kissing!" Usagi cried.

"You should have believed me when I told you the first time." Minako crossed her arms, leaning on the doorframe as Rei stood up, straightening out her clothing.

"What about Lucy?" Makoto tilted her head to the side, curiously gazing at her Martian friend.

"Oh, we broke up and then she proceeded to break everything in my house." Rei sighed, running her hand through her raven locks.

"Wait!" Usagi turned around, realization finally dawning on her after the trauma she went through. "So this means that you're . . ."

"Yup." Minako smiled.

"I'm so happy!" Usagi smiled and ran at the two, capturing them in an awkward group hug before they could escape. For the slightest of seconds tears sprung to both Minako and Usagi's eyes as flashes of the silver millennium buzzed through their minds.

"You're not mad or anything?" Minako stepped away as Rei, Makoto, and Ami looked at her in confusion. "I mean . . . I know I'm the commander of the squad and Rei is second in command and . . ."

"No." Usagi cut Minako off before she could finish. "This isn't the silver millennium and I am not my mother. We were put on Earth for a reason. Every single one of you is free to love who you want and live the life you please. All I ask is to be a part of it." Usagi smiled, an air of maturity suddenly surrounding her.

"Usagi-chan . . ." Minako chewed on her lower lip as tears sprung to her eyes again.

"Did I miss something?" Rei rubbed the back of her head in confusion.

"No." Minako shook her head with a smile, blinking back her tears.

"Well I'm glad you guys are finally out of the closet." Makoto smirked, lightening the mood.

"That it!" Rei growled as she lunged after Makoto who was running for the door. "Get out! All of you!"

"But Rei-chan we're supposed to be roommates!" Usagi cried as the raven haired girl pushed her out the door.

"We will NEVER be roommates!" Rei growled after the back of the retreating group as Minako slipped past her, heading out the front door. "And where do you think you're going?" Rei grabbed the blonde's wrist lightly.

"You told everyone to get out." Minako looked innocently at her girlfriend.

"I'm not done with you yet." Rei pulled her commander back into her house with lust swimming in her amethyst eyes as the blonde giggled, running for the bedroom.

Rei started to close the door when an uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach; it suddenly felt as someone was watching her every move. She poked her head outside, narrowing her eyes as she looked left and right, but as soon as the feeling was there it was gone.

The miko tried to brush it off as nothing as she stepped back inside, closing the door behind her, and locking it before she ran after her girlfriend who was eagerly awaiting her arrival.

 _Just to watch; sometimes it was enough. Of course there was the sure knowledge that watching would lead inevitably to the surging heat and glorious flow of blood, the overwhelming pulse of emotions throbbing from the victims, the rising music of the ordered madness._

 _For now, it was enough for the Watcher to observe and soak in the delicious feeling of anonymous, ultimate power. He could feel the unease of the other. The unease would grow, rising through the musical range into fear, rage, panic, and at last full-fledged terror. It would all come in good time._

 _The Watcher saw the other starting to lose control, starting to feel the dread and panic. The Watcher could see the other confused and searching for answers, but she would find nothing, of course. Not yet. Not until he determined that the time was right. Not until he had run the other into dull mindless panic. Only then would he stop watching and begin to take final action._

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 **AN: Dun dun duuuuuun! The plot thickens! I'm excited to see what you guys think about the new chapter so pretty please review and leave your thoughts :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Well it's definitely been a while since I last updated. This chapter turned out a lot longer than I thought it would, but it was definitely worth it, because I didn't want to cut anything out. Thank you to everyone who reviewed as usual and everyone continuing on this strange journey I call Burning Desire :) A lot of this chapter was written while I listened to Deftones if you couldn't already tell by the title. Anyways, I'll quit my rambling. On to the new chapter! :D**

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 **Chapter 19: Change**

Venus walked back to her chambers at a sluggish pace that would make a sloth seem fast. The Queen's words kept running through her head over and over again like a bad song. _'Do what you have to do to end it. Permanently.'_

"I can't . . ." Venus said quietly to herself, tears threatening to spill from her eyes once more.

"Can't what?" Mars leaned against the wall outside of Venus' room casually.

"M-Mars." Venus blinked back her tears quickly.

"What can't you do?" Mars frowned, pushing off the wall to approach the distraught blonde.

"Oh. I'm just wallowing in self pity. I can't do all the extra tasks the queen gave me. She wants me to check up on the transportation pad, oversee guard duty for us and everyone else, and a lot more. It feels kind of overwhelming right now." Venus put on a fake smile even though her heart was completely broken.

"I can help with that." Mars smiled, rubbing Venus' shoulders reassuringly, but little did she know her actions were making the Venusian feel worse.

"No." Venus stepped back away from her lover's warm embrace. "I mean . . ." She backtracked when she saw the confused look written all over the Martian's face. "You're already on thin ice with the Queen and I wouldn't want you to get into any more trouble. You're off the hook for that by the way. She said she would overlook it this time." She tried to smile once more, but it didn't quite meet her eyes.

"So she pulled that stick out of her ass huh?" Mars scoffed. "He deserved a lot worse."

"Mars. . ." Venus sighed, rubbing her temples.

"He did . . ." Mars grumbled under her breath, crossing her arms.

"I think I'm going to lie down for a bit." Venus breezed past the dark haired girl to enter her room.

"Do you want company?" Mars smirked, leaning against the blonde's door.

"No. I think I just need to be left alone for a bit." Venus smiled sadly, disappearing behind the door before Mars could protest.

"O-okay." Mars furrowed her brow in confusion once more, looking worriedly at the blonde's door before slowly backing away.

Venus stood with her back pressed firmly against the cold door, her eyes shut tight as tears freely ran down her face. She heard her lover's quiet response and her retreating footsteps echoing in her ears as she slowly slid down to the floor, burying her head in her hands.

"Did I do something wrong . . .?" Mars mumbled to herself as she finished up her patrol, heading to her room. For the last couple days it seemed Venus was nowhere to be found and if she was found by the Martian she was quick to retreat, mumbling something about her duties. She had a constant dull ache in her chest and she couldn't figure out why the blonde was ignoring her. _'Is she really that mad at me about Markus . . .? But why? Does she . . . like him?'_ Her heart suddenly thudded painfully in her chest at the thought of the blonde fawning over someone else. _'Was he speaking the truth when he provoked me . . .?'_ A dark feeling started to take over as the drums started up in her head again, her veins starting to ignite with rage at just the thought of someone else touching what she believed was hers.

"Mars . . ." A soft melodic voice brought Mars out of her angry trance before she could get too lost in her rage.

"Minako." A blush appeared on Mars' face upon seeing the blonde sitting on her bed, worried that her captain would catch onto her thoughts. "What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with the transportation pad or whatever excuse you could come up with to get away from me." Mars looked down, avoiding the blonde's gaze.

"I'm sorry for avoiding you the last couple of days, but . . ." Venus gulped, looking down, trying to work up the courage to do what she had to. _'It's for her own good. . .'_ "We have to talk."

"So you ignore me when I want to see you, but the second you want to talk I'm supposed to drop whatever I'm doing and be attentive." Mars scoffed, crossing her arms. "Typical."

"Mars." Venus sighed, clenching her fist tightly and standing up.

"I don't know where you get off Minako, but-"

"I don't want to see you anymore." Venus spat out quickly.

"-I mean really Venus . . . wait . . . what?" Mars stopped her rambling, her eyes wide as she turned to look at the blonde.

"I. . ." Venus turned her back to Mars, closing her eyes so she didn't have to look at the hurt expression on the Martian's face. "I don't want to see you anymore."

"You . . . don't want to see me anymore?" Mars furrowed her brow, mouthing the words slowly to see how they tasted on her lips.

". . .Yeah." Venus bit her lower lip, holding back her tears.

"Minako . . . I . . . I don't understand." Mars crossed the room quickly, placing her hand on the commander's shoulder. "Why?"

"This was supposed to be fun." Venus quickly stepped out of Rei's reach, stealing back her confidence to end things. _'I have to . . . this is for her own good.'_ "But now it has gotten all complicated. You're developing feelings for me, getting jealous . . . you're . . . you're taking up too much of my time . . . I shouldn't have let you get so attached to me. This whole thing was a big mistake."

"You don't mean that." Mars gritted her teeth, holding back tears as she clenched her hands into tight fists.

"Don't act so surprised Mars." Venus turned around with a cold smile on her lips. "You knew what this was."

"Take it back." Mars spat back, stepping up to Venus. "This isn't a mistake and you know it."

"Please Mars . . . you're embarassing yourself." Venus sighed, stepping past Mars to head for the door, but was stopped by Mars' hand gripping her elbow tightly.

"Why are you doing this?" Mars glared at the blonde. "I know you don't mean it."

"We're done Mars." Venus glared back, yanking her elbow out of the fire senshi's grasp. "Get over it." And with that Venus stormed out, slamming the door behind her, quickly running to her room with fresh tears pricking at her eyes.

Mars stood there for a moment just looking at the door the blonde retreated out of, her heart pounding hard in her chest, feeling as if a thousand needles were about to explode out of it. _'I shouldn't have let you get so attached to me. This whole thing was a big mistake. You knew what this was. We're done Mars. Get over it."_ Venus' words tortured her, ripping her apart from the inside until something finally snapped. "Fuck!" Mars grabbed a vase and threw it as hard as she could, breaking it into hundreds of pieces once it hit the door, but that little bit of destruction just sparked the fire that was ready to rage inside the Martian's chest.

 _Kill._

The drums started up loudly, the trumpets following quickly behind as Mars started to lose control.

 _Kill._

With one swipe of her arm everything on her desk fell to the floor, valuables shattering and papers scattering onto the ground.

 _Kill!_

Mars' blood felt like it was on fire as she flipped her entire desk and threw her chair at the wall, her eyes flickering red.

 _KILL!_

Mars quickly unsheathed her sword, her feet heading for her door of their own accord, but suddenly stopped in her tracks. _'No . . . I won't . . .'_ Mars gritted her teeth, using every bit of strength she had to try to let go of the sword. _'I won't do it! I won't hurt her!'_ The tribal music and voice suddenly went quiet; the clanging of her sword falling to the ground was the only thing filling the eerie silence as her eyes went back to their amethyst color.

 _'W-what is happening to me . . .?'_ Mars dropped to her knees, holding her face in her hands once she regained full control of her body. _'Minako . . . please . . . I need you . . .'_ The fire senshi's shoulders started shaking as tears rolled down her eyes and she sobbed into her hands.

 _-End Flashback-_

Rei sighed as she walked out into the parking lot, groceries in hand before happily getting in her car to head back home. She loathed going to get groceries for the simple fact of how many people were always there aggressively trying to find that one parking spot just a little bit closer to the store, spending an extra ten minutes to find it instead of walking the extra twenty seconds. Then there was always that guy or girl standing there looking dumbfounded at the different milk selections as if they had never bought dairy in their life and all you want to do is just get past them to grab your jug, but your manners tell you to let them finish first. Yes, to say Rei LOATHED going shopping was an understatement, but she had promised Minako dinner and she was not about to piss her goddess off.

Her engine roared to life as she cautiously exited her spot, almost getting side swiped by a white Toyota going at least twenty over the speed limit. _'Nice.'_ Rei grumbled as she pulled out the rest of the way, heading down the road only to pull up right next to said person at the stop light. _'You sure got to that stop light real fast.'_ Rei laughed a little to herself at her own comment, braving a glance over at the person next to her only for her view to be obstructed by tinted windows. _'Is that even legal?'_

Without warning she heard the soft drumbeat start up as she continued to stare into the black windows, an uneasy feeling starting to settle in her stomach. A deep and primal signal from within her was going off; she was getting a horrible vibe from the white Toyota and she had no idea why.

 _Just because you cannot see the threat, it doesn't mean that it's not already here._

"W-who said that?" Rei looked around in her car, only to find her backseat empty. _'You're losing it Rei. Pull it together!'_ She mentally scolded herself, suddenly jumping in her seat when an angry driver behind her started honking their horn. She glared into her rearview mirror before looking up to see that the light had turned green and the white Toyota was gone. _'I'm sure it's nothing.'_ Rei shook her head as she pushed down on the gas pedal and the drumbeat quieted, continuing her journey home and turning up her radio to drown out any possibility of the drums or voice coming back.

Five minutes later when she felt herself start to loosen up a bit she saw it again, the white Toyota with the tinted windows. It was following closely behind her this time, barely a foot away from her bumper. _'What the fuck . . .?'_ Rei knit her brow in confusion as she adjusted her rearview mirror, hoping to catch a glance of the driver. She sped up a little, but they matched her speed so she switched lanes hoping the annoying driver would pass her, but the second she switched lanes so did they, keeping their close distance. A part of her wanted to pump her brakes to teach them a lesson, but she really didn't want to deal with insurance people so she settled on taking a random right turn in hopes they would go straight.

Her heart rate picked up when they took the same turn and stayed on her tail. The drums started again softly as she took a left and they did the same, never losing an inch of distance between them. Panic started to really kick in when she tried the same tactic only for them to stay with her. She knew she should keep her eyes on the road, but she couldn't stop her eyes from darting to the review mirror, anxiously hoping to see the driver gone, but they were still there. As the trumpets started in her head with the drumbeat her hands began to sweat.

"This is ridiculous . . ." She mumbled to herself before suddenly pulling over and getting out the car only for the Toyota to keep cruising right by her as if it hadn't been tailing her. _'Was that all coincidence . . .? Or am I just losing it . . .?'_ She frowned as she watched the Toyota disappear around the corner before jumping into her own car, the beat still going steady in her head.

She drove the rest of the way home with shaky hands, a little panicked and confused, still checking her rearview mirror for the white car, but didn't see it at all. She gripped the wheel tightly, the drumbeat picking up when her heart rate increased. When she pulled into the driveway she let out a soft breath of relief, her eyes glazing over as she sat there for a moment, letting herself get lost for a second, but quickly snapped out of it, jumping a little in her seat when someone knocked on her window.

"Can I help you?"

Rei quickly rolled down her window when she saw a concerned male's facing looking into her car.

"I uh . . ." Rei looked around confused, seeing a neighborhood she didn't recognize, parked in front of a house that definitely wasn't her own. _'When did I . . . I mean I thought I drove home . . .'_

"Are you okay?" The man frowned, noticing Rei's fidgeting. "You've been sitting in my driveway for a good twenty minutes."

"Is Kyle here?" Rei immediately asked, trying to cover up her embarrassment and confusion.

"No . . . there's no Kyle here." The man stood up straighter.

"Oh . . . Sorry. I must have wandered to the wrong place. I thought you were someone else. My mistake." Rei threw on a fake smile before quickly reversing out of the driveway, trying to make her way home. _'What the Hell is going on?'_ Rei's knuckles turned white from how hard she was gripping the wheel as she parked right next to the Hikawa Shrine. Her hands shook as she opened her door and pulled the groceries out of her car, trying to find an explanation for what was happening.

"There you are." Came Minako's soft voice, causing the Martian to jump.

"Minako." Rei almost let out a sigh of relief when she turned around and saw the blonde, the panic leaving her body almost instantly.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long . . ." Minako approached Rei almost carefully, completely confusing the Martian.

"Is everything okay?" Rei tilted her head to the side.

"I just . . . I wanted to say . . ." Minako bit her lower lip, looking down, tears filling her eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Rei dropped the groceries, immediately going to console her girlfriend; the previous events were completely forgotten when she saw the blonde in tears.

"What do you mean what's wrong? Did you not . . ." Minako looked even more confused than Rei. "Did you not have a flashback?"

"No, should I have?" Rei frowned.

"How did you not see . . . I mean . . ." Minako took a step back, playing with her necklace she wore around her neck.

"I haven't had a flashback in a while." The miko rubbed the back of her head.

"What? This makes no sense . . . you were a big part in the last couple flashbacks I had and . . . for some reason you're not seeing them too. . .?" Venus knit her brow in confusion.

"I'm just as confused as you are."

"Well . . . maybe it's for the best you're not seeing them right now . . ." Minako sighed

"What do you mean?" Rei raised an eyebrow.

"N-nothing." Minako answered a little too quickly. _'Maybe I should keep these visions to myself . . . for now at least. I just got Reiko back and I don't want the past ruining the present.'_ "But we do need to talk to Luna and Artemis about this soon."

"I'm sure it's fine." Rei lied through her teeth, too afraid to admit that something was definitely wrong. _'I just got Minako back . . . I couldn't handle her running off because she thinks I'm going crazy or something . . .'_ "Anyways . . ." She cleared her throat before the silence could grow too much. "I bought groceries for-" Minako suddenly lunged forward, kissing her girlfriend hard, placing her hands on her cheeks.

"Why do you keep doing that?" Rei asked through half lidded eyes when Minako slowly pulled away while she licked her lips. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

"I guess I just can't control myself when it comes to you." Minako smiled and threw a wink in Rei's direction before grabbing the groceries.

Rei watched with a goofy smile on her face as Minako ascended the steps of the Hikawa shrine. _'What was I upset about again?'_

 ** _Even being behind the other's car for a couple moments, he could see the signs of nerves starting to fray: speeding up and slowing down, fiddling with the mirrors. Good. Uneasy was just the beginning. He needed to move the other far beyond uneasy, and he would. But first it was essential to make sure the other knew what was coming. The Watcher would simply repeat the pattern until the other recognized just what sort of power was after her. After that, the other would have no choice. She would come like a happy lamb to the slaughter._**

 ** _Until then, even the watching had purpose. Let her know she was watched. It would do her no good, even if she saw the face watching her._**

 ** _Faces can change. But the watching would not._**

 _-Flashback-_

Mars sat in the dining hall by herself at a table, sadly looking into her wine as everyone conversed happily around her. _'How can they act so happy?'_ She glared over her shoulder at a group of friends laughing.

"Hey there Rei-chan!" Came the bubbly voice of Asuna as she sat down next to the sulking fire senshi.

"Hey." Was the only quiet reply the orange haired girl got as Rei turned her attention back to her glass.

"Where is everyone?" Asuna frowned.

"Ami and Makoto are on Mercury checking out the transportation pad." Mars mumbled before taking another drink.

"What about Venus?"

"Fuck if I know." Mars grumbled darkly, staring hard at the table.

"Is everything okay Rei-chan? You seem kind of . . . upset." Asuna tilted her head to the side, observing the Martian curiously.

"Peachy."

"Rei-chan . . ." Asuna placed her hand on top of Rei's resting on the table. "You can talk to me."

"There's nothing to talk about." Rei quickly retracted her hand from Asuna's.

"Don't be so difficult." Asuna glared at the raven haired girl, taking her cup from her hands before she could drink more.

"Give that back!" Rei reached for the wine, but Asuna kept it just out of arms length.

"You can have it back when you tell me what is bothering you so much."

"I can make you give it to me." The Martian's eyes darkened.

"I'm shaking in my boots." Asuna rolled her eyes. "Stop fucking around. What's wrong Rei-chan?"

"Why do you even care?" Rei sighed, the fire leaving her eyes almost as fast as it had arrived.

"Because . . ." Asuna blushed. "Because you're my friend and it seems like you really need someone to talk to."

"I really don't-"

"Please . . ." The assault captain pled with her eyes.

Rei seemed to scrutinize the girl for a moment before letting out a defeated breath, looking down at the table as she spoke. "Fine . . I . . . I was seeing someone and they just told me they don't want to see me anymore. I don't understand . . ." Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Everything was going fine. We were happy . . . at least I thought we were . . . and now . . . she won't even look at me. She said I was taking up too much of her time . . . that it was all one big mistake . . . that she shouldn't have let me get so attached to her."

"Oh Rei-chan." Asuna sighed sadly, putting the fire senshi's cup back in front of her before scooting over and wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "I'm sorry. Honestly it's her loss. Anyone would be lucky to have you. You're a gorgeous woman and I'm sure there is someone you could easily find to take her place and fill the hole she left." Asuna bit her lower lip, knowing she might be pushing it a little too far.

"I don't want anyone else." Mars grumbled stubbornly as she scooted away form the orange haired girl, not seeing the look of hurt flash across Asuna's face.

"Then . . ." Asuna looked down, swallowing back her own hurt and pride. "Don't let her go Rei-chan. If you really feel that way she should know . . . she would be a fool to turn you away."

"She already has turned me away." Mars grumbled.

"I can't believe I'm seeing a Martian sulk like this." Asuna sighed. "If you care about her go get her damnit." Asuna stood up, grabbing Mars' cup again.

"Hey!" Mars protested as the assault captain chugged down what was left in her cup.

"I thought Martians were supposed to be brave." Asuna slammed the cup down.

"Fuck off." Mars mumbled, looking back down at the table.

"Fine." Asuna huffed. "But you better stop sulking and go talk to Venus before it's too late."

"What . . . I didn't say that-" Mars very much so resembled a fish out of water.

"Come on Rei-chan . . . I may not look very bright, but I'm not stupid." Asuna laughed, placing her hand on the fire senshi's shoulder. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She squeezed Rei's shoulder reassuringly before leaving to let the Martian gather her courage.

Venus stood hovering over a map of the moon alone in the war room, her brow tightly knitted, seemingly busy, but in reality she was entirely too consumed with her own self loathing to even entertain the thought of being productive. She gripped the edge of the table, staring down at the map with a blank stare. Her chest felt empty. All she could think about was the crushed look on the fire senshi's face when she ended things. _'At least she still has a head . . . If we continued she would be dead . . . I did the right thing . . .'_ A stray tear slowly rolled down the blonde's cheek, landing on the map below her.

The creaking of the door opening startled the blonde out of her daze. She quickly wiped away her tear before turning around to face the intruder. "May I help you? I'm-" Venus found herself staring into dark amethyst eyes boring into her soul. "Mars . . .what-"

"Why are you doing this?" Mars spoke calmly, her eyes searching Minako's soft blue pools.

"I already told you Mars." Minako sighed, quickly putting on her cold demeanor once more. "I'm busy and I really don't have time for this." The blonde turned her back to the fire senshi, resting her hands back on the table, pretending to scrutinize every little piece of the map.

"You're a bad liar." Rei said softly, coming up behind the blonde until she was pressed against her back, running her hands slowly down the length of Minako's arms until her hands rested on top of her own.

"Mars." Venus bit her lower lip, trying to remain strong as her heart pounded in her chest for the first time in what felt like forever. She had forgotten she even had a heartbeat.

"You know . . ." The fire senshi started running her fingertips back up Minako's arm while she used the other one to delicately move blonde strands out of the way of the commander's neck. "You're the first beautiful thing I ever got stuck on."

"Please don't do this . . ." Venus closed her eyes tightly, trying to hold back her tears.

Mars kissed the blonde's newly exposed neck softly. "It's killing me . . ."

"Please stop. . ." Venus gritted her teeth as yet another tear betrayed her and slipped down her cheek.

"It's killing me that you can run away from this and I just . . . I can't." Mars rested her forehead on the back of Minako's shoulder as she closed her eyes. "I can't let you go . . ." Mars rested her hands on Minako's hips, gripping them lightly. "I can't go out and find someone new, because I always think of you."

"Reiko . . . please . . ." Venus gripped the edge of the desk tighter, trying to stop more tears from spilling out when Rei suddenly turned the blonde around. The fire senshi placed a hand on each side of Minako, effectively trapping her there.

"Why are you doing this angel?" Mars placed the palm of her hand on Venus' cheek, wiping away her tear with her thumb.

"I . . ." Minako opened her eyes, her breath catching in her throat at the look Rei pierced her with. It struck so deep that she had to look off to the side when she replied. "I already told you."

"Liar." Mars leaned forward, capturing the blonde's lips in a soft kiss, pulling away only a little after a second. She grabbed the blonde's hand, pressing it against her chest so Minako could feel her wild heartbeat. "I know you feel this too." She spoke in the same soft voice, her lips brushing against Minako's as she spoke and moved both of their hands between Minako's breasts so she could feel the love senshi's heart pounding just as hard as hers. "Your body betrays you." Mars smirked at the blush that covered Minako's cheeks.

The silence was deafening and seemed to stretch on for forever until a loud smack echoed in the chambers. An angry red handprint was left on Mar's left cheek, but the fire senshi didn't budge. Instead she just stood there staring down the blonde who seemed to have a million emotions swimming in her blue eyes.

"Fuck you Mars." Venus hissed before lunging forward and capturing Mars' lips with her own in a bruising kiss. _'What the fuck are you doing?'_ Venus mentally scolded herself as she buried her hands in the miko's dark locks while Mars wrapped her arms around her slim waist, pulling the blonde flush against her body. She bit down on Mars' lower lip, tugging on the soft flesh before suddenly pulling away and shoving the Martian away from her. "Damnit Mars! I told you we're done! So why don't you just fuck off already!?" Venus growled, turning back around to glare at the map.

"You're the one who just threw yourself at me." Mars smirked, running her tongue along her lower lip, tasting a little bit of copper as she came up behind the blonde again and ran her hands down Minako's tight stomach.

"Mars, I'm warning you . . ." Venus tried to sound as threatening as she could with Rei's hot hands running down her body.

"I believe you said you wanted me to fuck you." Mars gripped Venus' hips tightly, quickly pulling the blonde's perfect ass against her to empathize her point.

"That's . . . that's not what I said." Minako bit her lower lip as Rei's right hand wandered to her inner thigh.

"Oh yeah, sorry. You said fuck me, but honestly . . ." Rei leaned forward, biting the blonde's earlobe. "I would rather be the one fucking you right now."

"Reiko . . ." Venus' voiced wavered as the miko's right hand made it up her skirt and was getting dangerously close to where she needed her the most.

"This is what you wanted right?" Mars spoke softly with a hint of sadness in her voice as her hand dipped into Minako's panties and she started to rub the love senshi's tight bundle of nerves, causing a soft moan to escape Minako's lips.

"We're going to get caught if we do this here." Minako breathed out, arching her back when Mars added a little more pressure.

"No one is going to see or hear us." Mars mumbled against the blonde's neck as she moved her fingers in agonizingly slow circles.

Minako's judgement was beyond clouded as the fire senshi pushed the tip of her finger into her only to pull it back and go back to rubbing slow circles against her tight bundle of nerves. "You're such a tease." Minako felt herself grow a little frustrated when Rei pulled the same move a second time, barely pushing her fingertip into her before going back to her previous ministrations.

"If you want me to stop I will." Rei smirked, stopping all movement from her hand.

"Don't you fucking dare." Minako growled as she turned her head to kiss the Martian deeply, running her tongue along Mars' lower lip. When she got denied entrance into her lovers mouth she pushed her ass out, pressing it firmly against Mars' crotch eliciting a moan from Rei's throat, giving her the access she had wanted.

Mars' grip on Venus' hip grew tighter as the blonde pushed her firm butt into her harder, provoking the Martian into continuing her work while Venus explored her hot mouth with her tongue.

"Aah Reiko." Venus broke away from their kiss to moan when Rei unexpectedly picked up the speed of her hand, pushing harder against Venus' clit. Seeing the look on Venus' face just provoked the Martian to go even faster and press her lips hard against the blonde's to muffle the loud moans escaping her mouth. She wanted to taste what Minako was feeling, she wanted to know only she could do this to the love senshi.

Mars suddenly pulled away from their bruising kiss, a fire blazing in her eyes and chest. Minako started to protest when she pulled her hand out of her panties, but her complaint never left her mouth. Instead it was replaced with a gasp as Mars pushed Venus' upper back with one hand hard, bending her over the table and pushing her front onto the map.

The love senshi bit her lower lip and gripped the map tightly in her hands as Mars looked down at the blonde, slowly running her fingertips down her back, taking in the image before her. She struggled to stop her hand from shaking from the lust and greed running wild through her veins, barely able to contain herself. She needed Minako, she knew that much. But she needed Minako to need her just as badly.

"Please Reiko." Minako struggled to keep her composure as Rei moved her hand down her ass and under her skirt again, hovering next to the line of the blonde's panties. She wanted to drink this image in and keep it locked inside of her memories forever. She wanted to savor every moment. She needed to know Minako was hers, but most of all . . .

Mars suddenly pushed Minako's panties off to the side.

She needed Minako to know that she was hers.

Minako let out a loud moan, gripping the map tighter as Rei pushed two fingers into her lover as deep as they would go. Rei almost moaned herself at the feeling of being inside of the blonde once again, a week felt like an eternity to her. A week felt like Hell without Minako's body writhing beneath her.

Rei's breaths came out shaky as she slowed down her pace, running her left hand down Minako's arm until her hand rested on top of the blondes. Her heart pounded in her chest when Minako let her intertwine her fingers with her own and her heart just about stopped completely when Minako brought her lips to the back of Rei's hand, leaving a soft kiss on her flesh.

The Martian blinked back her tears, ignoring the tearing in her chest when Minako's words rang through her head again. _'I shouldn't have let you get so attached to me. This whole thing was a big mistake. You knew what this was. We're done Mars. Get over it.'_

"Fuck Reiko." Venus hissed as the fire senshi let go of her hand and gripped her blonde locks, pulling her head back a bit as she curled her fingers deep inside of her. So many emotions were running through the Martian that she could hardly focus on what to do. She flip flopped from rough to soft, slow to fast, anger to joy, lust to affection, love to hate, angel to devil.

 _'Why did you say those things Minako?'_ Mars gritted her teeth as she picked up her speed, sweat dripping down her brow as she pushed harder into the moaning goddess beneath her. _'Why?'_

"Reiko I'm close." Minako's moan broke the fire senshi from her trance, reminding her she had a job to finish up.

Rei leaned forward a bit, capturing Venus' earlobe with her teeth, tugging on the soft skin before whispering into her ear. "Then come for me angel." And once again those words sent Minako tumbling over the edge. She cried out, writhing beneath her lover, ripping the map with her unbearably tight grip as she climaxed.

Once Minako's insides seemed to stop spasming Mars slowly pulled her fingers out of the blonde and turned her around so they were face to face. Minako's wild blue eyes locked onto her own, her chest heaving. She looked like she was ready to pounce on the fire senshi, but those raging pools full of lust seemed to be filled with panic now. ' _Fuck . . . what have I done . . . we can't be together and we just . . .'_ An image of Rei's kneeling over with a sword being swung down on her head suddenly flashed through the blonde's mind. _'Reiko . . '_

"Minako . . . What is going on?" Rei frowned, placing the palm of hand on Minako's cheek only for her to take a step back as if Mars had just burned her. "Please . . . Just tell me." The fire senshi took a step forward.

"Rei . . . I . . ." Venus looked down, avoiding her lover's piercing gaze.

"Why won't-" Mars was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"I'll explain later. Meet me in my chambers at midnight." Venus whispered to the Martian.

"No. I want to know now." Mars growled, but was once again interrupted by a persistent knocking on the door.

"If you stay here we will be discovered." Venus hissed, trying to push Mars towards the exit opposite of the knocking.

"I don't care." Mars snapped back.

"Reiko. Go. We will talk tonight. I promise."

Mars looked like she wanted to protest, but when she heard another knock she sighed and nodded her head before making her stealthy exit.

"Come in." Minako tried to pull herself together as she folded up the map before anyone could see, sparing a glance over a shoulder where Mars had exited.

Later on that night Mars anxiously waited for the clock to strike midnight. She needed to hear why Minako had said those words that haunted and tortured her. _'She didn't mean it. I know she didn't.'_ Mars sighed as she looked back up at the clock; her heart rate almost doubled in speed when she saw it was midnight. Finally . . . _I know this was all a misunderstanding. I just need to hear it from her lips.'_ Mars thought to herself as she walked quickly down the hallway. _'She will come running into my arms and apologize and I-"_ Mars opened the door to Venus' room and her heart dropped to the floor almost instantly, her insides twisting painfully.

 _'No . . . she wouldn't . . .'_ Mars gripped the handle of the door tightly as she looked on in horror as Minako straddled Markus on her bed, her hands buried in his dark locks, while his hands rested on her hips where her hands had been hours before, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. _'Why . . .?'_

"Can I help you?" Venus' voice suddenly broke Mars from her haze. The blonde looked at her with such cold blue eyes that Mars swore she just gave her frost bite while Markus smirked at her with that smug look on his face he wore so well.

"Sorry. I must have wandered to the wrong place." Mars bit the inside of her cheek as anger and pain swelled deep inside of her, glaring so heatedly at Minako it just about melted her on the spot. "I thought you were someone else. My mistake." And with that Mars slammed the door, stomping down hall as the image of Minako and Markus played through her head while the blondes words painfully rang in her ears. _'I shouldn't have let you get so attached to me. This whole thing was a big mistake. You knew what this was. We're done Mars. Get over it.'_

"Fucking bitch!" Mars screamed when she was finally in the safety of her room, grabbing her sword and stabbing her bed right in the middle, dragging the blade down to ruin the soft mattress.

Meanwhile back in her room Venus sat there on Markus, her mask slipping as she gazed at the door Mars slammed, biting her lower lip and holding back tears. _'Rei . . . I'm so sorry . . . this was the only way you would give up . . .'_

Markus squeezed the blonde's hips, gaining her attention once more. When she looked back at him she suddenly felt nauseous. Her insides felt rotten and dead and the mere thought of Markus was making her want to vomit.

"I'm actually not feeling too well . . ." Venus stood up, walking over to desk, looking down at the dark wood.

"What? Come on Venus. Don't let that savage ruin our good time." Markus rolled his eyes.

"Please leave." Was Venus' only quiet reply.

"Are you serious?" Markus growled as he stood up, glaring at the blonde's back. "You got me hard and now I'm supposed to just take care of myself?" Venus' only reply was her silence as she continued to stare down at her desk, her heart bleeding. "Fucking tease." Markus grumbled as he stormed out of the room, slamming it behind him.

The second Markus was gone Venus immediately crumbled onto the ground, hot tears running down her face as the image of Rei played through her mind, her words stinging her ears. _'I thought you were someone else. My mistake.'_

"Reiko . . ." Venus squeaked out feebly. "I'm so sorry . . ." The blonde sobbed, apologizing as if the Martian could hear her.

The next morning Mars woke up on her bedroom floor, her head pounding, eyes bleary, and completely confused. _'What the . . .?'_ She slowly stood up, one hand on her head as she struggled to completely open her eyes. When her vision cleared enough she was met with the sight of her room in ruins. The bed was gutted with slash marks all over it, her desk and chair were in pieces, her curtains were ripped to shreds, and any small trinket she had was either smashed or scattered on the floor. _'Did I do this . . .?'_ Rei leaned down, picking up a stray piece of splintered wood and in that moment everything came back to the fire senshi, her head pounding even more painfully as vivid images flashed through her mind from the night before. Minako. Markus. The fit of rage that left her room looking like a bad horror movie. Everything.

Her heart thudded hard in her chest as a wave of nausea took over at the image of Minako and Markus last night. Her imagination started running wild and soon she saw them naked and entangled, laughing at the Martian while she wept.

The soft drumbeat started again as her pain and rage fueled by her imagination took over. ' _No . . .'_ Rei protested softly, trying to quiet her mind. _Kill._ Rei shook her head. _'No.'_ She gritted her teeth, trying to shut out the noise and voices. _Kill!_

"No!" She yelled out, throwing down the piece of wood in her hands regaining control before she completely lost it again.

She looked around her room once more, heart beating wildly as images of the nights she spent with Minako ran through her mind, threatening to make her lose control again. _'I just . . . I need some fresh air . . . That's it . . .'_

She hastily left her room to escape the painful memories and temptations, briskly walking down the halls of the palace, hoping to find some type of escape outside of those marble walls. She kept her head down while walking; the last thing she needed was to have to interact with someone while she was in such a state, but fate was seldom kind to the Martian.

She foolishly glanced up to make sure she was going the right way to the exit of the palace, but instead of seeing an empty hallway she saw Markus. He seemed irritated and a little on edge himself, but when his eyes landed on her a smug smirk settled on his face. She clenched her fist tightly, desperately willing the images of him and her lover intwined to disappear. Her mouth was in a tight line, nails digging into her skin as he passed her by. He wisely kept his mouth shut, but couldn't resist throwing a wink in her direction.

Mars clenched her hands into a tighter fist, almost drawing blood as she closed her eyes to try to calm herself, but the drumbeat started, then the trumpets, and then a simultaneous feeling of anger and joy swelled up inside of her. An incredible blood lust took over her body and this time there was no warning and there was no fighting it as she turned sharply around and followed the brunette, walking a little faster until she caught up.

She gripped his shoulder and with surprising strength turned him around. He looked pissed and opened his mouth to say something, but before a word could get out Mars raised her fist and punched him hard in the jaw, making him fall backwards onto his butt.

"What the fu-"

"Shut the fuck up." Mars growled as she stormed up to him, gripping the collar of his shirt, hovering over the irritated guard. He opened his mouth foolishly to speak once more but Mars slammed her fist onto his eye, then raised it back up to smash it onto his healing nose. Her eyes slowly started turning crimson red as teeth and blood splattered onto the ground, creating some sort of demented art on the marble as she raised her fist and slammed it into the brunettes face over and over again. She did it so many times the man was becoming unrecognizable; his face swelling in certain areas and concaving in others as she continued.

 _KILL!_

Bloody bubbles and gurgles came out of his mouth as he tried to say something, lifting his hand to try to stop the enraged Martian. She stopped for a moment, her breathing heavy as she looked at the man beneath her, seeming to beg for mercy.

"P-p-please . . ." Was what Mars was assuming he was trying to gurgle out.

 _KILL! KILL! KILL!_

Mars had a sadistic smirk on her face as she grabbed his hand and pushed it back so hard that the wrist snapped. He tried to scream but nothing seemed to come out of his mouth as she went back to work. That mischivous glint in his eyes had dimmed and was about to completely die out. He would no longer put his hands on her lover or anyone else again. He would pay for his crimes in blood. Lots of blood. He was at her mercy and Mars was not a very merciful person.

She continued her assault with no intention to stop until Markus stopped making much movement at all and drained all the fun out of her activity. She pulled her sword out of her sheath to finally put him out of his misery with a big smile on her face when she was suddenly tackled from behind.

"Mars!" Makoto held her thrashing friend down.

"Get off me!" Mars screamed. "I'm going to kill him!"

 _KILL THEM ALL!_

"Get him to the medical ward! NOW!" Came Ami's voice from somewhere Mars didn't know. All she could see was red and all the wanted to do was slit that mans throat.

"Mars!" Makoto slammed the Martian's hand down that held her sword hard onto the ground. She had to slam her friends hand down a couple more times before Mars finally released her weapon. "Get a grip! Stop!"

 _KILL THEM ALL!_

"Let me go! I'll kill you all!" Mars growled while she laid on her stomach on the ground with Makoto's full weight on her back.

"Please Mars . . . snap out of it." Makoto said softly with tears in her eyes. _'What the hell happened while we were gone?'_

 _'Makoto . . .?'_ Mars seemed to suddenly realize who was holding her down and where she was, snapping out of her bloody frenzy, and stopping her thrashing. Her eyes turned back to their normal color as she looked off to the side, her face pressed hard against the ground. Her eyes widened when she saw blood and teeth scattered all over the once beautiful marble floor. "Makoto . . ." Mars spoke softly now. "W-what did I do?"

* * *

 **AN: Welp there it is! Dark enough for ya? :D The next couple chapters will be more flashback than anything, but soon it will be just present time and I solemnly swear that this is all going to wrap up together and make sense :) Pretty please leave me a review and tell me what you think about this incredibly depressing chapter lol I always love hearing, well reading, your guys' thoughts :)**


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